Yesterday I was frustrated.
Even though plenty of things are going right and I'm overly blessed and surrounded by a great support system (that covers multiple states).....sometimes I just get cranky.
Upon surveying my frustration, I realized I had neglected 2 very important things in my life that caused this foul mood.
1. Lack of solitude.
I love Jonathan (if you don't know that by now, you're illiterate.) And I just revel in seeing him everyday. But I am very fond of my alone time (which is actually something he and I have in common.) And by very fond I mean, I need at least half an hour of alone, meditation, silence a day. At least. Sometimes I feel like I'm addicted to silence.
Of late, that hasn't been happening. So, as soon as I got off work yesterday I high-tailed it to Newport. I walked the Riverwalk. I sat in a bookstore for 2 hours. I ate something chocolate that was probably at least 5,000,000,000 calories. And the best part? I DIDN'T TALK TO ANYONE. There were plenty of people around. I might've said thank you to the guy at Starbucks. Otherwise? I had no one to answer to. I didn't have to carry on a conversation. Or decide where to go. I could wander around aimlessly at my leisure.
Solitude. Sweet solitude. I'm gonna have to keep up with that. (And as I type this now, I'm alone in the house. In silence. Basking in the glory of solitude.)
2. Lack of creativity.
I might have oodles of boxes of crafty stuff in Tennessee. But I haven't brought anything to Ohio yet. So last night I was itching to draw, write, paint, hot glue, mod podge, scrapbook....I mean ANYTHING that would release my pent up creative mind. I hadn't done anything crafty in over a week, and that is WAY too long.
Not that I'm good at any of that, mind you. It's just a form of therapy really. A method of sanity that I like to practice. So, while at aforementioned bookstore I picked up a journal. Not just any old journal, but this one. That's right. I bought a book called "This is not a book." Each page has different entries to fill out. Each one says something like, "This is a recorder. Note the events of the day." Or, "This is a beach scene. Add some props." Or, "This is a psychological mood altering machine..." and so on. You get the picture. To me, it's like a world of imagination and creativity in one tiny book. I recommend it.
Upon purchasing said book, I scribbled in a few pages. And it felt good. I never thought that drawing a whale would be so exciting. But it was definitely the release that I needed.
SO. What did I learn yesterday? That I still need to work to maintain good emotional/mental health. No matter where I am, who I'm with, or what I'm doing.
Sometimes a girl just needs a little alone time and a pen.
Amen.
Friday, August 12, 2011
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Two (Very Important) Things
Yesterday I was frustrated.
Even though plenty of things are going right and I'm overly blessed and surrounded by a great support system (that covers multiple states).....sometimes I just get cranky.
Upon surveying my frustration, I realized I had neglected 2 very important things in my life that caused this foul mood.
1. Lack of solitude.
I love Jonathan (if you don't know that by now, you're illiterate.) And I just revel in seeing him everyday. But I am very fond of my alone time (which is actually something he and I have in common.) And by very fond I mean, I need at least half an hour of alone, meditation, silence a day. At least. Sometimes I feel like I'm addicted to silence.
Of late, that hasn't been happening. So, as soon as I got off work yesterday I high-tailed it to Newport. I walked the Riverwalk. I sat in a bookstore for 2 hours. I ate something chocolate that was probably at least 5,000,000,000 calories. And the best part? I DIDN'T TALK TO ANYONE. There were plenty of people around. I might've said thank you to the guy at Starbucks. Otherwise? I had no one to answer to. I didn't have to carry on a conversation. Or decide where to go. I could wander around aimlessly at my leisure.
Solitude. Sweet solitude. I'm gonna have to keep up with that. (And as I type this now, I'm alone in the house. In silence. Basking in the glory of solitude.)
2. Lack of creativity.
I might have oodles of boxes of crafty stuff in Tennessee. But I haven't brought anything to Ohio yet. So last night I was itching to draw, write, paint, hot glue, mod podge, scrapbook....I mean ANYTHING that would release my pent up creative mind. I hadn't done anything crafty in over a week, and that is WAY too long.
Not that I'm good at any of that, mind you. It's just a form of therapy really. A method of sanity that I like to practice. So, while at aforementioned bookstore I picked up a journal. Not just any old journal, but this one. That's right. I bought a book called "This is not a book." Each page has different entries to fill out. Each one says something like, "This is a recorder. Note the events of the day." Or, "This is a beach scene. Add some props." Or, "This is a psychological mood altering machine..." and so on. You get the picture. To me, it's like a world of imagination and creativity in one tiny book. I recommend it.
Upon purchasing said book, I scribbled in a few pages. And it felt good. I never thought that drawing a whale would be so exciting. But it was definitely the release that I needed.
SO. What did I learn yesterday? That I still need to work to maintain good emotional/mental health. No matter where I am, who I'm with, or what I'm doing.
Sometimes a girl just needs a little alone time and a pen.
Amen.
Even though plenty of things are going right and I'm overly blessed and surrounded by a great support system (that covers multiple states).....sometimes I just get cranky.
Upon surveying my frustration, I realized I had neglected 2 very important things in my life that caused this foul mood.
1. Lack of solitude.
I love Jonathan (if you don't know that by now, you're illiterate.) And I just revel in seeing him everyday. But I am very fond of my alone time (which is actually something he and I have in common.) And by very fond I mean, I need at least half an hour of alone, meditation, silence a day. At least. Sometimes I feel like I'm addicted to silence.
Of late, that hasn't been happening. So, as soon as I got off work yesterday I high-tailed it to Newport. I walked the Riverwalk. I sat in a bookstore for 2 hours. I ate something chocolate that was probably at least 5,000,000,000 calories. And the best part? I DIDN'T TALK TO ANYONE. There were plenty of people around. I might've said thank you to the guy at Starbucks. Otherwise? I had no one to answer to. I didn't have to carry on a conversation. Or decide where to go. I could wander around aimlessly at my leisure.
Solitude. Sweet solitude. I'm gonna have to keep up with that. (And as I type this now, I'm alone in the house. In silence. Basking in the glory of solitude.)
2. Lack of creativity.
I might have oodles of boxes of crafty stuff in Tennessee. But I haven't brought anything to Ohio yet. So last night I was itching to draw, write, paint, hot glue, mod podge, scrapbook....I mean ANYTHING that would release my pent up creative mind. I hadn't done anything crafty in over a week, and that is WAY too long.
Not that I'm good at any of that, mind you. It's just a form of therapy really. A method of sanity that I like to practice. So, while at aforementioned bookstore I picked up a journal. Not just any old journal, but this one. That's right. I bought a book called "This is not a book." Each page has different entries to fill out. Each one says something like, "This is a recorder. Note the events of the day." Or, "This is a beach scene. Add some props." Or, "This is a psychological mood altering machine..." and so on. You get the picture. To me, it's like a world of imagination and creativity in one tiny book. I recommend it.
Upon purchasing said book, I scribbled in a few pages. And it felt good. I never thought that drawing a whale would be so exciting. But it was definitely the release that I needed.
SO. What did I learn yesterday? That I still need to work to maintain good emotional/mental health. No matter where I am, who I'm with, or what I'm doing.
Sometimes a girl just needs a little alone time and a pen.
Amen.
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