(When, oh when, do I get my award for Most Likely to Turn a Bad Situation into Good?)
It’s the forced down time. Which means that instead of running to and from appointments and errands and work and school and the gym, and, God forbid, fun stuff like dinners with friends and movies, you get an excuse to do none of that. Because you’re flat on your back, and let’s face it, high as a kite, which means running anywhere is just plain out of the question, and might even be illegal in some states.
It’s the chance to let your mind wander (narcotics entirely optional). A chance to reset your life, to get back to basics. First priority: get the body well again. All else loses its urgency.
I was thinking about the coming school year. I know, I know, it’s still July, but since I’m out of town for two weeks in August and have a lot to do on both sides of that trip, in my world it may as well be September. (If you have school-age kids, I’m sure you’re in the same boat.) Here’s what I’m focusing on, in random order:
Back to Basics
School: Enjoy my last year as a grad student, and the luxury of being surrounded by people as fascinated by language and its power as I am.Writing: Thesis, thesis, thesis. No need to worry yet about getting my freelance career going again, or the other fun project ideas floating around my squirrely little brain. Plenty of time for that next year.
Teaching: Do my best to help 20 undergrads become more confident writers and thoughtful readers.
Blog: Don’t worry about optimizing it for SEO or Tweeting my way to 10,000 readers. Just try to write useful, entertaining posts.
Work: Be enthusiastic and engaged.
Fun: Despite my crazy schedule, make time to play with friends, go for walks, visit museums. Revel, at least a little, in this gorgeous city and all it offers.
There they are, six things I’ll focus on in the next nine months. To list them out makes me breathe a little easier, even if it’s actually more than I like to have in my regular life (have I ever had one of those?). But for the short term, it’s good.
What about you? Can you boil your life down to a handful of Most Important Things, and either eliminate or put off the rest?
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4 comments:
spa
friends
fun
mental health
physical health
trust
Monica - nice list. Cheers to getting closer to where you want to be on all fronts.
alright your'e not going to get this one.
The assignment here was to boil down a handful of most important things. So I have been wrestling with the idea of, "How do we know when that day comes when we are no longer children growing up and we are adults getting older. My theory was, this was based on when we achieved the receipt of the first bite of the apple, thats when we received the knowledge, thats when we began to age. And I asked myself why was Women granted the gift of knowledge first, why was it not man? Then it dawned on me, the secret to this enigma... Here's how it boils out:
Women
Counting
First Computer (antikythera mechanism)
given the gift
given to a leader
First Mathematicians
First Star Charters
First Astrologers
First Prophets-Oracles- Women
First Lunar Lander Charters - All Women
First Time to start counting
She would understand the moon cycles
Boy's don't ever start counting their cycle
"I think we are taking a chance trusting her"
"Give it time is what we need"
"Thats what we want to give it time, not a Battery"
Why was a Women given the advance knowledge?
Adam & Eve
Theory on the First Time you Age
For Man and for Women, she realizes she is counting.
So that's boiled down to a scene explaining the similarities between Stonehenge and 15 concentric circles or cogs that allow you to calculate time 2300 years ago. I would go into the explanation, but it's just a scene, boiled down to the underlying elements that create a list.
Dr. Inga Karetnikova taught me to make lists whether you need it now or use it later, it will help you organize your ideas. She interviewed Fellini, her book is out there, but it's not about her lists, its about what she found out from Fellini. I think what I remember her reporting Fellini saying was, "if your going to paint a storyboard you must first learn to draw, and draw well.'
So here's a revamp of my list:
Find more TIME to Draw.
Thats Life on the surface.
Tusk - you're right, I'm not sure I do get it, but I appreciate you sharing it with us! I totally agree about making lists (or writing it out, in general) to get to an answer, and I love your answer: More Time to Draw. Let us know how that goes.
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