Today (Monday) I took the day off from work to oversee some landscaping that was happening at our house. I was home just in case there were questions, and there were, so I could call my husband and get the right answers. I used my time to write, and write I did -- eight and a half pages! Now that might not seem like much to you, but I have line spacing on my laptop set at 1.15, so it's just a hair above single-spaced text, and writing over eight pages is a lot of writing. But I was 'in the flow' and the writer's block was gone; I was rested and relaxed with nothing pressing to get done, and I had no interruptions other than the breaks I took, so the writing came easily. I've moved beyond the twist in Amanda's story that I hadn't planned and am winding up -- or down -- to the climax of her story, but that I can't tell you!
During the day, I sat outside on the covered porch swing on the deck with one of my cats, Delilah, spread out beside me, purring away. The sun was warm, the breeze pleasant, the shade welcome, and the men were at the back of the property digging and laying stone for a low wall to set off our perennial flower garden and to guide water down the back slope when we have downpours. Occasionally I'd look up and see how things were progressing; I'd listen to the birds singing and even saw a red-bellied woodpecker fly across the yard and attach itself to a tree. The sweet scent of the honeysuckle in bloom on a trellis next to our deck filled my nostrils. What else could I ask for? It was a glorious day.
I focused on my writing, although I occasionally got up and pulled weeds, walked through my vegetable garden, spoke often to my Heavenly Father, watered the remaining tomato plants (whose number is dwindling daily), and took photos of the work in progress on our digital camera. I also started laundry and mixed a marinade for the chicken to be cooked for dinner, so I got a lot of little things done while getting a whole lot done on Amanda's story.
When I sat down to dinner with my husband, I told him that this was the most relaxing and rewarding day in terms of my writing that I think I've ever experienced. I'm so thankful for it! Sometimes I feel as if I'm put in a blender and someone turns it on HIGH, swirling me around and liquifying me before pouring me out on the ground, where I simply disappear. I'm the kind of person who likes to see results, who likes to make progress, and who feels most fulfilled when life is not hectic. Today cost me one day of my vacation time, but it was well spent.
I recommend to all of my readers to take time to enjoy what's outside your back door, to sit on your deck and watch the birds and butterflies, to hear the birds sing, and to smell the flowers in bloom. It's springtime in North Carolina, and taking a day and doing nothing with it other than what makes you feel fulfilled is worth it. God never intended us to whirl around, heads spinning and stressed out constantly; He is a God of peace and rest and calls us away to spend time with Him in what He's created, not in concrete buildings made by man. Take the time that's needed to connect with God and to His world, and you'll be rested and relaxed at the end of the day, ready to face the challenges of tomorrow. I'm ready now.
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