Taking a Break ~ 2

There’s a funny thing about the routines we have at home. They only seem to exist at home. Sticky little things that tag along in our suitcases and in our minds. When we go away, even if we take our ideas and ordinary things on a trip ~ long or short ~ they are out of place. Their place has been left behind in the structure we’ve created for ourselves within our own four walls. I can hear many voices, including my own, saying: “You’re on kind of a holiday. Leave home at home.” I do have trouble with that to a degree. First of all I take medication. That is one routine that should not be sidelined, whatever the holiday or vacation or 'away from home' time is. Being away from any health care team, besides not being able to enjoy a new environment, can create another set of problems that have nothing to do with fun.

Medication aside, some of our routines, rituals or habits can be integral to what we enjoy doing. I have learned to allow the timing to be flexible. Make the time used shorter. In regards to my blog entries, I find new topics for writing. That would be true for any artistic endeavour. And of course there is getting some created in advance so a quick click of my finger will post the prepared written work. There are many solutions individual to each person and situation. But there can be some guidelines:

1. Be flexible. 
2. Enjoy wherever you are.
3. Eat different food
4. Don’t have too many guidelines ~ or any at all

Today I’ve watched talk shows, the news and taken my grand-dog, Eva, for two walks. The second one was pretty short! Neither of us was happy about the cold rain soaking us. We squeaked inside the door, and towelled off before the wet and mud could get through the house. Paws wiped, raincoats (Eva’s and mine) hung to dry, my shoes left at the door we settled once more. Eva to her bed on the floor and me on the couch with the TV remote close at hand. When one is retired, there is seldom an official ‘vacation’ time, so any time……….Excuse me, lunch time……..

An hour (or maybe more) later ~ Pardon me. I took a break for some hot soup, a sandwich, texting with my son. I have to get back to the TV or a nap or both. 

“Almost everything will work again if you 

unplug it for a few minutes…..including you.”

~ Ann Lamott

Day Three: The Five? Days of Personal Archaeology

Project on hold. Just like many project schedules - plan a time frame and make sure it’s flexible.Work issues pre-empted my ‘dig’ while my mind keeps churning out ideas for where next to look while trying to avoid spreading myself too thin (just like momma said.). Grateful for my ability to be flexible!

“Flexibility is an art of creating a way out within the cul-de-sacs.”

~ Mehmet Murat ildan, Turkish playwright

Creatively Listing

One of the qualities for my Daily Planning is flexibility. Not the wet noodle kind of flexibility, but bending to the moment. This morning as I was mentally reviewing my day - weather included - there were just too, too many details in my head. There seemed so many, in fact that they were tripping over each other just creating a pile of wet noodles! So, I gave in. One more list can’t hurt.

One more challenge. Not a huge one, but I’d just like to get on with things and not have to fuss about all this stuff. I didn’t want another little scrap of paper jammed in my pocket or cluttering up my already cluttered cell phone. It’s raining, windy outside, and for Victoria cold! How do I do this day!? I stood in the middle of my bedroom by my small writing desk and thought. Aha! A solution. For years, a dry erase board has been incredibly useful for mind mapping. Two of them sit patiently on my piano. (Pianos make great easels, for things besides piano books.) Getting things out of my head and down on paper - or in this case a dry erase board - creates a sorting place for the jumble in my head. 

Now I have three lists (plus the one on my cell phone). All of my lists are in specific, visual places. They are not scrunchable. This new/old one is big and I get to use coloured dry erase markers. Being erasable is especially important on this new ‘list’. At night before bed, I’ll take the eraser to it, smudging all the colours so it vanishes just like all the events of the day. Each morning a new daily plan may be outlined if my head is all a-jumble with a busy day.

This ‘solution’ takes me back a bit ago to black or green chalkboards and coloured chalk. Cleaner and definitely not as dusty. Old ways of doing things, upgraded to this year’s models, are still very valuable. In this world of technology using hands on solutions with what you have at your finger tips (or on your piano) seems more difficult. Or maybe just forgotten. Literally unheard of for younger generations, especially the youngest.

“The best solutions are often simple yet unexpected.”

~ Julian Casablanca

Bend to the Moment

Flexibility all around in 

the space between words

pause between notes

lift and flow of breaths

movement of muscles

hesitation between ticks of the clock, resting at night before day planning to pivot without notice.

“Develop flexibility and you will be firm; 

cultivate yielding and you will be strong.”

~ Liezi, The Book of Master Lie

Don’t forget!  March is Epilepsy month with Purple Day for Epilepsy on March 26 each year.

Guidance Counselling?

I am a master of busy work. Puttering is soothing for me. So what is the difference? In this next month of creating a workable daily plan, I came across this stumbling block as I counted out change put aside for laundry money. The goal was a good one - I do need laundry money twice a month - specifically loonies - so saving my change seemed like a worthy goal. Otherwise I would have to get to the bank for a roll of loonies. As I was adding up my quarters to see where I stand, the ‘busy work’ thought pinged in my head like an alert on my cell phone. Am I really saving time? Or am I setting myself up for more ‘busy work’ than the time it would take for a trip to the bank, sometimes along with another errand?

All that aside, I really do like puttering. There is a soothing quality for me to puttering about my home with minor tasks, or fixing tasks, or whatever I wish to do. When I am in doubt of true meanings, I go to online dictionaries and in this case a real, old hard cover dictionary (Copyright 1976 - it’s not that old!) - just in case they disagree. You know how the English language morphs and changes. Sadly, it would seem they agree. From my 1976 Websters: ‘putter: 1. to move or act aimlessly or idly. 2. To work at random’. Not exactly the same wording on the online dictionaries, but the meanings are quite the same. Online Merriam-Webster:  ‘to spend time in a relaxed way doing small jobs and other things that are not very important.’ And believe me, I can work at random or doing small jobs for hours, until I want to pick up a book and read. Or let my iPad distract me.

For the purposes of creating guidelines for daily planning, puttering can be included, however, my thought is that a timer is needed! There’s also no one here to be the boss of me, nor would I want anyone else to be the boss of me. Seriously though, I do have three important projects that I wish to complete. Frequently a timer when writing has been very useful. Paying attention to that timer when I’m puttering and busy working also useful. Not always successful, but it has worked quite well for me - when I pay attention. At the same time, I know that putting blinders on, staying too focussed for too long is as dangerous to project completion as unchecked puttering. (Puttering can get a lot of household tasks done.)

I’ve just returned from a great weekend away with my kids in Vancouver. Yesterday, we had a lovely outing with friends for Dim Sum in the morning. Later in the day we had an Oscar party with the tenderest, most delicious pot roast and rich, fudgy chocolate cake - there was salad, potatoes and gravy but the first two mentioned were definitely the stars. Time spent like that is another issue to consider when ‘going deeper, not wider’. Time taken with family to let the work of the previous days or weeks settle in, to deepen family bonds and just plain relax and laugh. All the project work, and even puttering tires a body and mind out!

Based on this bit of enlightenment, I am revising my Daily Plan from my March 3rd blog post. Rather, re-titling it and making a couple of additions seems more realistic. Any good plan starts with guidelines, and usually much discussion to find out what they are. In that light:

Guidelines for Daily Planning

1. Be prepared
2. Allow for flexibility
3. Balance project work with puttering
4. Be alert for busy work
5. Set a timer - begin with 25 to 45 minutes.

Oh my goodness, I thought this would be easy. Deciding to review one’s life habits with clarity, without judgement, and with kindness may just get the important projects done, while realistic puttering is allowed to continue. Busy work maybe needs to be pared away, but honestly I think it might be the same thing as puttering just not accomplishing as much.

“It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. 

The question is: What are we busy about?”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Flexibility on a Rainy Afternoon

We had planned to visit the Fifth Annual International Busker’s Festival. We planned a stroll of the Inner Harbour and the Upper Inner Harbour in the sun that we’ve been enjoying the last several weeks. But….it was not to be. 

 

Clouds had drifted in and hovered over us, blessing us with the rain so badly needed.  So…...change of plans ~ go out to lunch first. The Tapa Bar in Trounce Alley welcomed us out of the rain, fed us and we kindly paid our bill. By the time we were done that delicious interlude, clouds had lifted and we took our leave.

The clouds still threatened but not enough to deter us. Onward to our original destination we spent the next two hours trying to peer over heads to see acts we never saw, looking for a program, wiping rain water from the bleachers and watching the amazing strength, talent and flexibility of two different acts:  The Aerial Angels and Lisa Lotte. The Aerial Angels are three young women (the youngest 15 years old) who shimmied high up a silk sheet to spin, bend and twist. Lisa Lotte, a world class hula hooper, can be seen on a TEDx talk on Youtube. She entertained us with positions of flexibility that were astounding, and then with her hula hoops from one to seven! As we sat on the metal bleachers, the clouds began to spit at us, a bit too heavy at one time and we sat anyway laughing, clapping and enjoying the shows.

The performances we had just witnessed had tested our belief in the pull of gravity and the flexibility of the human body. It had turned out to be a fun afternoon and just as we returned home, the rains came down again.

“Be infinitely flexible and constantly amazed.”

~ Jason Kravitz