Last week Tam talked about getting out of your usual
surroundings to learn something about yourself that you didn’t know or had
forgotten. She went on to say that when you take those discoveries back with
you, you might find you have changed, perhaps even reincarnated yourself,
keeping the important pieces and letting go some of the others.
Her words, as always, rang true.
In fact, I just had such an experience. Last week, I found
myself in Spokane, Washington, helping my mother pack up and move over to the
coast. I grew up in Spokane, but since our family lake house recently sold, I
rented an enchanting little house through airbnb. (A great organization! Check
it out if you ever need a home away from home: https://www.airbnb.com
)
The tiny house, lovingly transformed from a 384 square foot Washington
Water Power substation with a 13 foot ceiling, was furnished with charming
antiques and had a courtyard planted with organic berries and vegetables to
pick and enjoy. With no Internet access or television, it provided a perfect
oasis for me to rest, recharge, center and to get to know myself a little
better again. Waking up in the morning and then returning to this one room
retreat every evening for a week gently forced me into some new
patterns—patterns of simplicity, introspection and a kind of meditative
solitude I hadn’t experienced since my days in my little cabin on Orcas Island.
I discovered that I didn’t need to know, moment-to-moment or
even hour-to-hour what everyone else was doing or posting. I didn’t need to
respond immediately to whatever emails might be in my inbox. I rediscovered that
sitting quietly, enjoying a cup of tea, a soft boiled egg and buttered toast or
a simple salad and a glass of wine, without conversation, without an open
notebook or even a book, was a pleasure and helped me pay attention to the
moment, to the smells, the flavors, the temperature of the air, the curl of a
leaf in the jug of freshly cut flowers on the table and in paying attention, my
thoughts slowed to murmurs instead of the anxious banter that had been circling
in there all day.
I rediscovered John Prine among the house collection of CD’s
and remembered how much I used to love just sitting and listening to music—how
it opens up something in my heart and makes me smile. I even danced by myself
around the room, which reminded me that it’s good to be silly sometimes. That
such uninhibited freedom can bring joy.
And then when I did finally sit down and open my notebook to
write and try to get inside the character in the novel I’ve been working on, I
found that not only could I hear my thoughts more clearly, but I could actually
slip inside my character's head in a way that I hadn’t been able to do before, perhaps
because I was less attached to who I had been and more open to try on
another skin.
And now that I’m home, I can feel those discoveries alive in
me; I am going to try to be less obsessed with staying constantly Internetedly connected,
constantly checking email and searching for unnecessary facts. I am going to
try not to feel the need to constantly multi-task. I will try to allow myself
more time to sit quietly, to pay attention to what I’m doing. Or not doing. I’m going to try
and remind myself to use the Internet as a tool but to not let it become a
substitute for real life connecting or experience.
I did, however, just go to iTunes and download some John
Prine to dance to when I’m home alone.
Take Good Care,
Sharry
Love this post and love that you took advantage of downtime/alone time and new surroundings. I hope to do more of that when we move into our new home in CT - to listen, to sit, to think, and to make more time for writing. xo
ReplyDeleteDeb, good luck with your move; a new home is a great place to start some new habits and routines!
DeleteWonderful advice. Important reminder. Seems this kind of quiet time (without electronics) is essential for writers but necessary for all of us and we probably have to consciously and actively work to achieve it. Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to do it without a little nudge. I'm going to try to turn off internet between 10 am and 4 pm everyday and see if I can really get in the habit at home of not even thinking about it during my 'work' hours.
DeleteWhat a cute little house and an important message to create some much needed "unplugged" time. I just ordered John Prine from my library and am looking forward to dancing!
ReplyDeleteHappy dancing!
DeleteSo glad you had this quiet - but nice to see you back, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love John Prine - such a storyteller!
Yes! That's exactly what I love about him, too. And such a great sense of humor.
DeleteSomeone recommended your blog, probably one of my book club friends. I would appreciate being in that same atmosphere. It looks like a prescription just written for me. I am not familiar with John Prine, I'll have to investigate.
ReplyDelete~hugs~
hate word verification, have a tough time with it!
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see you here again, soon!
DeleteI found your website the other day and after reading a handful of posts, thought I would say thank you for all the great content. Keep it coming! I will try to stop by here more often.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the wonderful story about the Little House. It brought tears to my eyes when I realized that you "got it" as the retreat we worked so hard to create. After reading your blog, we knew we had made the right decision regarding the internet and of course, John Prine. Thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm! We will visit your blog often and better yet, we plan on visiting you in person later this year. Take care, Warmly Val & Geoff
ReplyDeletegreat post about the interior landscapeing.Little House design ideas and photos. The largest collection of interior design and decorating ideas on the Internet, including indoor outdoor plants.
ReplyDelete