Why In the World Do You Come to the Page?

While I'm in Florida this week, I'm posting some relevant pieces from the archives. This is the first Write on Wednesday post from June 2008.

Frustration has been the name of the game this week.   Our computers at work are wonky, we have a new staff member in the office meaning there's all kinds of unusual verbal and social interaction, and then one of our senior staff members decided it would be fun for all of us to have instant messenger so we could IM each other within our huge (7 people on a good day) office.  I'm ashamed to say I spent at an hour creating my avatar...you see, I was trying to find this one icon of a fluffy white dog (see what I mean about wasting time?)

So I got home about 6:00, after fighting my way through rush hour traffic, and what's the first thing I feel compelled to do?

Write.

Wouldn't you think that after a frustrating day, a day when every accomplishment, every task was completed with much virtual hair pulling and screaming, wouldn't you think that after a day like that I'd crave nothing more than a big glass of wine, a huge box of chocolates, and my easy chair?

Why in the world would I come to the page after a day like that?

"We should write because writing is a powerful form of prayer and meditation, connecting us both to our own insight and to a higher and deeper level of inner guidance," says Julia Cameron, in The Right to Write.  "Writing is good for the soul."

While I don't necessarily think of writing as cathartic, I do believe it helps me make sense of my world and myself.  There are times when a striking truth about my life suddenly appears before me on the screen, complete and utterly honest, coming straight from my spirit through my fingers and onto the page.  For a writer, there is a great connection between the heart, the mind, and the pen.  The act of setting words on the page seems to open a door directly into my writer's soul, letting me in on the secrets that are stored there.

Perhaps that why writing is such a restorative act.  "Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises," Anne Lamott writes in Bird by Bird.  "The actual act of writing turns out to be the best part.  It's like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony.  The act of writing turns out to be its own reward."

Indeed, there was a sense of relief, of reassurance, to come home, kick off my shoes, and curl up in my easy chair with my virtual pen and paper - my little laptop perched precariously on the chair's overstuffed arm.  I admit, there was wine involved too, but the comfort and relaxation which flooded my body had more to do with the words flowing from my fingertips than from the alcohol flowing past my lips. 

Writing replenishes my spirit, it rejuvenates my mind, it relaxes my emotions.

And that's why I come to the page.

How about you?  What brings you to the page, and why?

It's the People

Earlier today I had a phone conversation with my Dad. You might recall that he's undergoing another round of chemo for a recurrence of colon cancer. It's been well over five years since his original diagnosis and treatment, but in the interim he had a bout of prostate cancer which was treated with radiation therapy. Did I mention that he also has Parkinson's disease?

And that he's 85 years old?

As you might imagine, he's rather frail. We're planning a trip to Florida later this week to see him, so I inquired about his schedule in the upcoming days.

"Well, Tuesday's and Thursdays are therapy days," he said, rattling it off verbatim. "I get this pump thing filled up on Tuesdays, and wear it all day Wednesday, and then go back in on Thursday for some other treatment. I'm working on Friday and Sunday this week, but on Saturday I'm free all day."

"Are you still working??" I asked, somewhat incredulously. My Dad has worked at the local Walmart for the past several years, even working full time for a while.

"Just two days a week now," he said, "and only four hours at a time."

"Do you really think you should do that?" I wondered, not for the first time.

"Yeah, I need to," he said. "It keeps my mind off all this other awful stuff. Besides, I like all the people I work with, and I have my regular customers that come in and get upset if I'm not there. That's the best part of work, the people."

Of course he's right. Especially for a man like my Dad, who enjoys talking to people, who ran a successful small business for 40 years, who likes to be out and about in the world.

"How about you?" he asked. "Do you miss your job?"

I thought for a minute before I answered. Fact is, I don't miss the work itself, but I do miss the people I worked with. I enjoyed the interaction with my co-workers and my boss, enjoyed the camaraderie, the sense of shared purpose - all the things I'm enjoying so much in my Classical Bells rehearsals.

When I told him as much, he understood immediately. "It's all about the relationships," he said.

I can believe that. There is much satisfaction to be had in the workplace, and not all of it has to do with a job well done.

How about you. Do your working relationships help make a dull job better? 

We're Getting Smarter, People!

Crossword puzzles, sudoko, aerobic exercise, fish oil...for years, baby boomers and seniors have been hearing about the benefits of these things in helping us avoid dementia, Alzheimer's and the general memory loss that accompanies aging. In her cover article for a recent issue of Newsweek, Sharon Begley has even better news. She writes of 31 Ways to Get Smarter in 2012, ways we can not only improve our memory, but boost our overall IQ as much as 20 points.

The really good news about these findings? Nearly all the methods of getting smarter are easy, enjoyable, and cheap. How often do you see those three words in a sentence to describe anything these days??

Of the 31 ways, I was happy to note that many of them are things I already do (drink coffee, eat dark chocolate, play musical instruments, get a good amount of sleep, eat yogurt, drink lots of water) or things I'd like to do (learn a language, visit art museums, go to literary festivals, join a knitting circle, dance). One of the recommendations I know I'll never do (play violent videos games- but hey, that's good news for my son, and maybe why he's a genius. And I thought it was because of my stellar parenting techniques!) These things all look like so much fun, I'm only half surprised they didn't list sports betting as a way to get smarter.

Begley says one of the biggest detriments to becoming smarter is lack of attention. And one the major reasons we've all become a little attention deficit - you guessed it. Technology drains our focus in a hundred ways.  Hence another way to get smarter - toss the Smartphone in the garbage, and get outside and play  games like soccer.

The article accompanying Begley's list is well worth reading, as she delves into some of the neuropsychological reasons the brain either gets smarter (or not) over time. Because just as brain power and intelligence can increase during our lifespan, so can they decrease without the proper care and feeding.

And none of us wants that to happen.

Last week at bell rehearsal I was talking with my stand partner about the article. We've been working on some particularly difficult music, requiring us to come up with some very creative bell changing options. As we discussed ways to get through a particularly difficult passage, we sipped coffee and nibbled on some of the ever-present chocolate squares. "

"Look at this," I told Darcie. "We're getting smarter every minute!"

That's the way to play it.

Write On Wednesday: Putting It Off

Just as soon as I've finished my morning coffee (two cups, black) and set aside my book, Magic jumps up from his perch beside me in the big green chair and settles expectantly on the floor in front of me. His gracefully plumed tail starts to wag, and, head lowered slightly, he looks out from under slightly overgrown eyebrows with those huge brown eyes of his. A low rumble emerges from his throat, an "nnrrr"-ing sound that is his way of urging me out of my chair and out the door.

It's walk time.

Some mornings (mostly winter mornings) I think about invesing in some indoor Pet Waste Stations or dog exercise equipment. But since I've not done that, I put on my coat, hat, earmuffs, gloves and boots.

And we walk.

When we come in, I'm cold. I need more coffee, so I rinse out the pot from this morning, dump the used filter into the garbage, measure out another four cups of cold water and two scoops of fresh Gevalia coffee. While I'm waiting - and waiting - and waiting - for it to make it's way through the pot, past the grounds, and into the carafe (final destination my china mug), I flip open my iPad and check in with social media. Any new video's of Connor this morning? Yes? I watch it once, then twice, then maybe a third time, lapping up ever little coo, squawk, kick, and squiggle.

By this time, the coffee's done. But wait - before pouring a new cup, I'd better feed the dogs. I open the refrigerator and find the small Pyrex dish containing boiled chicken breast strips. I spoon two out, shred them into tiny bites, pour some broth over them, and pop them into the microwave for 20 seconds. Then I add a scoop of kibble on top.

Dog breakfast.

Now it's time for coffee.

And time to hit my desk. Writing projects await. Blog posts are due, publicity articles and e-mails for Paul's Players, the community theater group I'm helping my friend get off the ground. There's an idea for an essay I keep meaning to explore - (The Blessed Bean-My Love Affair With Coffee).

I pour a fresh cup of said Blessed Bean, and start off toward my writing room. On the way, I notice the pile of laundry I meant to throw in the washer before heading out on the walk. I really need that sweater washed, because I want to wear it tomorrow. It won't take long to do that, so I gather it up and head downstairs to the laundry room.

On my way back up, I spy the canvas bag of books I meant to go through to determine which ones to donate to the library book sale. Those need to be dropped off later today. I settle onto the little couch at the bottom of the basement stairs and paw through the stack. There's a copy of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections - I didn't know I had that! I don't think I ever read that! I open the cover and read a few pages. Nope, not one bit familiar, but pretty good. I'd better keep this one for a while.

The washing machine beeps. Could that laundry be done already? How long have I been sitting here?

You've got to get back started on that writing, I tell myself.

Quit putting it off and get busy.

 How about you? Do you find lots of ways to put writing off? How do you get yourself into gear? Check out this week's Write On Wednesday to see what did the trick for me.

Putting It Off

Last week I wrote about putting it out there, trying to figure out how much exposure I need for my writing. This week, I've been thinking more about getting some writing done to put out there in the first place! I've been procrastinating several writing projects for a couple of weeks, finding every way I could to keep myself from getting started on them. Part of the reason was feeling insecure about them - both were in rather new territory for me, and I was unsure of where or how to start. When I don't feel confident, I have a bad habit of retreating into a corner rather than trying to get help or risking a possible failure. The other reason for my procrastination was a general malaise that's come over me this month. Call it the January blahs or missing my Grandson or general age related apathy, it has affected my writing practice.

Whatever the reasons, I've been putting off writing.

A funny thing happened this week. I spent a morning rehearsing with my handbell group, and things were going really well. We were making good progress on some very difficult music, working out tempos, figuring out dynamic changes, analyzing the various paths of melodic and harmonic lines. I came home really energized from that rehearsal, sat down at my desk, and hammered out everything I needed to do to complete one of those projects.

The creative energy from my musical rehearsal had a positive after effect on my writing. I was no longer putting it off, but really getting it on!

How about you? Have you ever had a positive transference of energy from one creative endeavor to another? What helps you get back in the groove when you've been putting off writing?