Art by Lisa Moore, http://anneneilsonfineart.com/artists/lisamoore/
I’m taking a day. Breathing in the fresh air, exhaling the stale. Resting my mind and body from the busyness of things.
It’s not in my nature.
I’m trying to close my eyes for a while. Just breathe while everything around me presses on. I have so many joys in life and have never imagined choosing between them… or reconfiguring them each to fit just right.
I want it all!
Softly II, by Lisa Moore
But my body stands its ground in protest. From physical ailments to stressful realities, regardless of the good or bad of each circumstance, the weight is real. So, I’m slowing down for a beat. Letting the rhythm that hums in the background of my life decelerate. I’m going to practice some meditation techniques I’ve learned from my daughters. Breathing in spiraling patterns, connecting to a sound far away from me, until I tune into the sound closest to me.
My desired outcome; resting inside myself for the sake of myself.
And when I am done, I may write a little poetry. I may add to the rewrite of my novel. I may grade a few eight-year-old thoughts on the characteristics of folktales (from my day job). I don’t know. That’s the part that tortures me. And for someone bursting at the seams to create, slowing down for even a second takes everything I have.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Breathing in each moment while my natural sense of urgency squanders at bay. I may not have this down to an art, but I’m working toward mastery.
Wonder, by Lisa Moore
Writing Advice: Rest
Maybe today you can let your creative side rest a while.
Ferris Jabr has an article worth noting, Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/
He states, “What if the brain requires substantial downtime to remain industrious and generate its most innovative ideas? ‘Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets,’ essayist Tim Kreider wrote in The New York Times. ‘The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration—it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.’”
Jabr goes on to say, “Downtime replenishes the brain’s stores of attention and motivation, encourages productivity and creativity, and is essential to both achieve our highest levels of performance and simply form stable memories in everyday life. A wandering mind unsticks us in time so that we can learn from the past and plan for the future. Moments of respite may even be necessary to keep one’s moral compass in working order and maintain a sense of self.”
Oh Really, by Lisa Moore
Enough for me. The only challenge is to abide in this thought of letting go. Taking advantage of the negative protests from my physical body. Truly listening to what my mind desires.
Releasing myself to be a little more unproductive just might be the gift I need. Resting to write…
~ By Celaine Charles, February 10, 2019
Image and Content Links:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mental-downtime/ (Why Your Brain Needs More Downtime, By Ferris Jabr on October 15, 2013)
http://anneneilsonfineart.com/artists/lisamoore/ (All exquisite art by Lisa Moore, from Anne Neilson Fine Arts)
Categories: Thoughts on writing...
Tags: #celainecharleswriter, #poetrycommunity, #resting, #stepsinbetween, #writingcommunity, encouragement, inspiration, poetry, writers, writing
Steps In Between 
I know this state well. That anxious energy to get it all done, not fall behind. Mine was in part my coping mechanism called industrial overfocused. And my dear friend anxiety. But even allowing for that extra beat, that 5 minutes to Be, it’ll make a difference.
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It’s nice to know I’m not the only one. Hopefully we can all find a little needed rest (that stimulates some positive creativity). Take care!
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I am with you there today. Just rest and recovery. Take care and I hope you feel better by the time the snow melts.
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Thank you! I’m feeling better and doing some writing today.
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Reblogged this on The Writing Life.
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Thanks again!!
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