My Stream of Consciousness Saturday comes out late because I had a brainwave yesterday and indulged in something that’s almost become a novelty for me.
I shut down my systems completely throughout yesterday, took a novel and my mat to the park with my children where I read, dozed off to sleep to the tweet of birds, the gentle breeze, the sound of children playing in the background, the tantalizing aroma of grilling sausages and sweet smell of cotton candy floating to my nostrils sporadically.
I woke up refreshed, thankful and relaxed and I said to myself ‘Jacqueline, you must indulge in this novelty often enough.’
I doubt if it will ever grow stale to just step back for a few hours and just be without the undue pressure that we put on ourselves trying to meet all manners of deadlines.
Hmm! Guilty Pleasures! Just saying the words alone causes a glazed look to appear in my eyes and a nice zing of dopamine rush to my brain.
I do have a good number of those sinful gratifications hiding away in my closet, under my pillow and all around me and I wonder why I should feel guilty for something that I rightfully own and enjoy.
“Would spending so much on books count?”
“What of lovely, silky unmentionables?”
“A spa treat, is healthy isn’t it?” “Just think about professional hands kneading those aching muscles and massaging that scalp…..delightful right?”
…and those shoes? If your feet don’t run in the dainty feet department where all the best shoes seems to go, you will understand the constant battle not to grab all the lovely shoes that you find in your size.
Sweet cravings are my rapturous indulgence. I could sneak in a decadent box of Swiss chocolates with an intention to have only a morsel or two. That is fooling myself and a story for the laughing Gods. With my nose buried in a delicious read, the box is as sure as gone. The burst of pleasure on my tongue was worth every measure 😉
Those sinful Cold Stone creamery, Dairy Queen, Haagen Daz cookies and cream ice-creams that tend to beckon to me when I am walking peacefully down the aisle are a bit problematic too.
You can almost hear the Dairy Queen go “Psst! Hey! Jackie this way, look am a new flavour.”
It is really a herculean feat to peal my eyes away from their pleading eyes and walk sedately to the counter, then comfort myself for being so strong by buying the smallest Twix bar available.
I have simply learnt to remove the guilt from the pleasure by practicing the virtue in moderation but not to indulge? Ha! That’s almost impossible.
Oh shush! Don’t go judging me. I know all about yours too!
At some pointor the other, we all experience some fatigue from writing and we need those little breaks to reflect, rejuvenate and calibrate.
As a mother with school age kids and a full daily to-do list, some days can be more daunting than the others, but I have learnt over time, to fit in some little pick me ups which helps to maintain my sanity and refresh my writing juice.
Here are some of the things that I get up to:
Sleeping it offwhen the luxury to indulge in a power snooze presents itself. Those power snoozes does wonders for the thinking cells of a writing she or he.
Murk about in nature. A jaunt around the park, in a garden, by the sea side, in the wilds or any nature that can be found around. The nature is such a natural healer that you might even find yourself waxing poetic at the end of it all.
Picking the brains of the young ones. Sometimes, my children serve as a bouncing board for silly ideas. We could spend time reciting old rhymes and twisting it as we go along. The wonderful, fresh outlook through the eyes of a child can be refreshing to the jaded eyes of a writer.
Sweating it out: I could turbo charge with a quick round of lazy press-ups, jumping jacks, skipping or whatever gets the adrenaline pumping.
Dancing without inhibitions like a happy, roaming gypsy, or singing out loudly like a tipsy bard – in the bathroom preferably 😉
Curling up in bedor on a favorite couch with a new interest inside the reams of a book and a chamomile tea can help calm some tired nerves. Sometimes, lighting a nice, cheap and cheerful candle can even set the tone for good times 😉
Going to the cinema or going to people watch, works magic too! I find a vantage point in a busy place that teems with humans and people watch shamelessly. You will be surprised at the burst of ideas that can come through such exercise. I always attach an imaginary character to a passer-by, visualizing a lifestyle for them, based on their dressing or the little mannerisms that they express.
Running a hot tubwith a dash of jasmine or eucalyptus oil. Hot water does its good work in loosening some kinks. Sit in the tub and let your mind roam free. There is no crime tag attached to just being and not doing.
When I can afford a little pampering, I go for spa treatment and just soak it all in. It does help to have a professional iron out the kinks. Otherwise, I settle for a cheap and cheerful tweaking home treatment from my children and they get to paint my toes.
Attending an open seminar/workshop and meeting new faces.
There’s an endless list of opportunities and new ventures to be explored.
a cooking pot and twisted tales 