Walking

Today I went for a big walk over to a friend's house for a writers' group meeting. The meeting, as usual, was great, but it was the walk that surprised me with its positivity-inducing ability.

I'm not sure why I was surprised. I walk everywhere. I love it. But I guess most of the time I walk to get somewhere. Today I was doing just that, but I also made sure to enjoy the journey itself. I didn't hurry, I positively strolled. My brain slowed down with my pace, and I was able to think through some things more clearly; I came up with a new idea for a non-fiction piece. The sun shone, but not too warmly, and I could smell spring (jasmine, in my mind) in the air. All in all a good walk.

Enjoying the journey isn't new to me either, I guess I just haven't done it for quite some time. Today must be a day for reminders.

Getting my hands dirty

I've been thinking about gardening all evening, and I've realised that a large part of what I enjoy about it is really getting my hands (well, actually, all of me) dirty in the process. It makes me feel like I'm really doing something, really getting involved.

Lately I've been in a bit of a writing slump (I'm hesitant to say "writers' block"... that phrase scares me a little). I've been writing, but I haven't been happy with any of it. It's not terrible, I'm just not excited about it.

This afternoon I went to a writers' meeting and was talking to another writer (and friend of mine) there about it. Through our conversation I realised that the other things I do creatively have a huge effect on the quality of my writing.

So my plan is to get my hands dirty more often. Sometimes it might be in the garden, sometimes it might be splashing colour (probably poorly) on a canvas. I might even attempt to do some sewing again. And I'll keep my dirty fingers crossed that my writing will improve.