Absence makes the heart…
I sit down to write; to flex a stiffened muscle. Not to sound too corporate, but I appreciate your patience in me getting back to you.
Every day - multiple times a day - I think about writing. I consider stories and circumstances that might lend themselves to a good article; I imagine the titles in my head; I hurry to write down quotes and protect that spark of inspiration.
In my last post, 31 things at 31, I spoke about the elusive nature of creativity and how all ideas must be written down. Ideas are like butterflies - capturing your attention when you stand close enough; difficult to capture and gone in an instant.
I tell you what, though, in not writing regularly in the past few months, the desire to write has been reaffirmed, like the renewal of wedding vows in older age.
I find words to be beautiful and poetry to hold a certain power - like fitting something restless into a gilded box.
What does creativity need? For me, creativity requires space and, more often than not, solitude. Since meeting my partner (and his owner, Mark - ha) I have less time to myself. Now, let's put things straight for the record: I appreciate this greatly and this is only a positive thing; there is nothing that kills the soul quite like loneliness.
There is no blame or problem here. Instead, it is an acceptance of a change to routine. It is harder to write with a puppy at your feet!
However, things that are important will always make themselves known. I firmly believe that things make themselves un-ignorable.
We get away with things when we're young. We can eat and drink and smoke and stay up late, and invariably we can bounce back. The effects of smoking tend to only make themselves known a couple of decades down the line. But like all things when pushed to the limit, the body will eventually bite back and make things un-ignorable to you. Invariably, the body presents symptoms to you as a sign that something you're doing isn't working.
For me, restlessness and anxiety are symptoms that I need to move my body. Similarly, for me writing is an outlet. In recent weeks, certain things have made themselves un-ignorable to me. One of those things? That I want to keep writing.
So here we are, an inception piece of writing about writing about writing.
I'm easing myself back in. I'll see you next time.
Mindful moment: What is becoming an un-ignorable symptom in your life? This may be the physical sign of stress on your body, like gut issues or pain, or perhaps a general symptom of unrest that requires your attention. We can listen to these things as if the body is talking to us, about what it likes or doesn't like. We may need solitude, stillness or silence to hear it. We may need space to find all three of these things. Take all distraction away and listen to what is being communicated to you.
Love, Laura
Quote for the weekend…
“Every moment of life is as precious and beautiful as any game of chess ever played - if only you know how to live it.”
I chose this quote because, as if in Catholic confessional, I want the space to admit that I am really not enjoying this book! (Having said that, I thought this was a lovely quote.) It's hard for me to be objective because I have always been intensely jealous of Sally Rooney - a published novelist of the same age as me - so I inherently feel a bitterness towards her (that's on me). I'm finishing it because recently I have left multiple books half-read and need to finish something, for my own peace of mind (have you done that?). Again, the desire for me to write becomes un-ignorable…
Mindful moment: Do you feel every moment of life to be precious and beautiful? How might you make it so?
Have we met?
Welcome to the Community.
I'm Laura, a yoga teacher and NHS doctor. With this weekly newsletter I aim to help you incorporate mindful moments into your week. I want you to feel inspired, empowered and creative. I promise to always be authentic; to only include content that speaks to me and which, therefore, I hope will do the same for you.
If you enjoyed reading this, then please consider sharing it with a friend!