This past week went by at a slow pace. We are at my mom’s place and there is nothing to do here.
We have been eating quite a lot. I am not doing anything, anything at all. The first two days I liked being here not doing anything, just relaxing and eating all the food that appears before me. But as time progressed I felt the need to do some of the things that I normally do. However, it is challenging for me to work in the kitchen alongside my mom because she disagrees with my approach.
So I am back to sitting with nothing else to do other than watching some movies.
Even that is not enticing me.
This experience is showing me the importance of our routines and doing the work. Can’t I use this time to write a few stories and poems? Well, just sitting idle and trying to think of ideas is making my brain dizzy. We need the movement, the regular hustle and bustle to keep the muse flowing. Washing dishes is one of my favorite activities that helps my brain connect with its muse and makes the ideas appear on my screen later. I had been ignoring those connections quite a lot of late, hadn’t I?
I made excuses instead.
I don’t have time to sit and play with idea right now, I have dishes to clean.
I can’t write down this piece of poetry just yet because I need to finish cooking the chicken curry.
Oh, the excuses.
In fact, the boredom I am currently facing is a blessing in disguise. There is nothing wrong with being busy. I can still jot down the ideas that pop up while cooking, cleaning, or driving. Not while driving perhaps, still I can jot it down when I get to the destination.
Looking back I realize back when I was writing and publishing almost daily, this is exactly how I used to do it. Catch the snippets of muse on the go and later sit back and elaborate and publish without overthinking. How else do I think I was able to do all that when my baby was 2 years old while being busy with an active eight year old?
Waiting for time is a futile endeavor, but utilizing the time that we have will give a better result. Five minutes here and there add up to quite a lot.
My foggy brain, after all, managed to come up with something so wise, didn’t it?
Well, it’s time to follow my own advice next week when I am back at my home and fall back to blaming the lack of few quiet minutes to myself to think, write, and publish.
This flash fiction piece is written in response to the one hundred and fifty fourth edition of Fiction Monday inspired by the word prompt – FOGGY hosted at Reflections by yours truly. Do join in if you have a tale to tell.
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This line says it all – “Waiting for time is a futile endeavor, but utilizing the time that we have will give a better result. Five minutes here and there add up to quite a lot.”
In today’s post on my blog, I refer to a book by Austin Kleon. There is this line in it – “You find time the same place you find spare change: in the nooks and crannies.”
I guess that’s all there is to it, isn’t it? 😀
Nice post, Vinitha!
From time to time, going somewhere else and doing something else, we obtain new ideas almost
immediately. And we are able to sketch different new ideas, maybe useful.
All the best in this new weekend, dear Vinitha!
Hugs! ❤️????
Love the idea of catching ‘snippets of muse’. Often that’s all we have and we need to make the best of it. We usually do. I started my blogging journey when the twins were born. I cannot even begin to imagine how busy my life would have been with two babies and little help. Yet I kept the blog going. Inactivity is often as dangerous for the creative process as being too busy.
Have a happy holiday Vinitha.
I loved reading this post more than all the previous posts, in recent times, on your blog. Doing the dishes has become my favourite thing too provided the smaller ones likes plates, bowls, spoons, glasses and cups go into the dishwasher. I. The absence of a maid, I realised washing (the bigger vessels) bartan and doing a good job of it clears up my mind sometime filling my head with ideas and some other times solving the puzzling over thinking in my head. Getting out of our regimented schedules also opens up spaces and pockets in the mind. An example of the result is this post.
I have a question – ” Are you wishing for this holiday to get over fast now because you can’t wait to get back to your regular busy, over-worked, back-breaking life?” I wouldn’t be surprised if you say yes ????
My phone’s keyboard or your blog played up replacing a laughing smiley with 4 question marks. Ignore the ????
Truthfully, I can’t wait to get back, Anamika. I loved coming here and seeing everyone. It was a nice change. But I also love my space, my home, my routines. That doesn’t mean that I would stop yearning to come home in Kerala again and after coming here wanting to get back home in Phoenix. ????
Missing the everyday routine is taxing, really. In the past week, when my routine went crazy and idle, at the same time, I was so restless. I wanted to get back to my routine and now that I am here, it feels so good. I can understand how it must feel for you, Vinitha.
True, the muse often visits when we are busy doing some chores. It visits me during my evening walks, too, and I can’t wait to get back home and note down the ideas my muse left for me before someone steals them all!
Loved your post. So relatable and in so many ways, Vinitha! I feel like that when I go somewhere…love it for a few days and then yearn to get back to my groove…the familiarity of spaces and of routines is what we love about being at home, right? It’s the sense of belonging for me that I yearn the most when I am away from home. And, yet, I can understand how much you must have yearned to meet folks here in India. So, this break was needed too. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realised why these meetings, the talks and the interactions matter so much to keep us connected to people even if things aren’t perfect always, but then that’s life. I’m glad you’re looking forward to going back and I’m also glad that you will be back to your writing schedule soon again.