We know quite a few people who are working so hard these days, under the constant pressure of all there is to do, that they can’t seem to stop until they hit a wall: they get cold and need to go to bed, or find themselves sitting in front of a computer trying to write and nothing comes. Like us last week. We’ve learned our lesson…
Suddenly, that old Rolling Stones song popped into our head:
You better stop, look around
Here it comes, here it comes, here it comes, here it comes
Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown
We really have not not been mindful enough of letting our work go for a while EACH DAY, and recharging……in whatever form that takes…
Part of making and creating is DOING NOTHING (which is always something!)
…Like watching this 30-or-so-years-later version of Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown…
…to see how it’s evolved…
I went scouting upstate yesterday and was taken to the most interesting house. The homeowner was not interested in having her house listed, but it was enough of a treat to see the place, a completely original modern house filled with long glass windows, giant boulders (the house was built around them), and the most colorful handmade tiles on every surface. The most striking thing I noticed, though, was that before we arrived, she must have been sitting in a beautiful cushioned wicker chair set by a corner of glass overlooking the spectacular backyard below, drinking a cup of tea and reading! In the middle of a Wednesday afternoon! For me, a striking thing…I admired the vision of a person spending time that way.
The only time I allow myself a timeout like that is when I’m sick or in desperate need of a nap. Thanks for reminding me that doing nothing is really important.