Photo by kevenrushforth
Surprisingly, the reading deprivation experiment is over and I am not cowering in a dark hole muttering to myself. I actually feel really good. Really REAL. I had a great week without books. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but wait, let me tell you what I got to do instead!
1. Went to the beach for the afternoon and didn’t do anything but watch the water, watch Todd out on the sand as the tide rolled out and watched Todd run as fast as he could back to the car as the tide rolled in. Watched people, dogs, babies, felt the sun warming my face and neck. That was fabulous. The weather was so nice in Seattle that everyone was out and about washing cars and mowing lawns and bbqing dinner.
2. Watched fabulous storytelling on dvd. Finished the 14 episodes of Firefly, that 2002 cult classic that everyone talks about and I had never watched. It was fantastic! The writing was so strong (good for Jane Espenson; she’s just so talented and Joss Whedon, who thought the whole thing up). And started season 5 of Entourage, which has so many twists and turns I can’t keep up. And then watched the Academy Awards (hoping both Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep would win; Bullock took it and I’m really happy for her). LOVED Michael Giacchino (composer from the movie UP) and his exhortations to kids (I include myself in that) around the world watching to trust that “you’re not wasting time being creative.” LOVED that. Took it for myself. I’ll be using that a lot in the upcoming months.
3. Decided on two major goals in the next two months. The “not reading” thing cleared my brain until I knew exactly what I wanted to do the MOST. Cleaned out my office, got my taxes assembled and sent to the CPA, hired a new CPA for 2010, and wrote and wrote and wrote.
4. During the week of “no read, just listen” as I like to call it, my pastors preached two amazing sermons about just that. Since it’s Lent, and the Upper Room message in John that Jesus gave to the disciples has been reviewed over and over, they’ve come up with different themes to focus on that represent the many rooms of that Upper Room: belief, love, growth. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I was so glad I had not filled up my brain with anything else so I could hear it. Pastor George talked about unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence and that this is what Christ brings us to over and over through our lives. You can see a video of Pastor George and Pastor Renee talking about it or listen to a podcast of the sermon here.
5. I have become more real. In case some of you aren’t aware, real is my word for 2010. It’s an Ali Edwards idea to pick a word for the year and I found it really interesting that she reprinted her post today on the subject of being real (a republished article from her AEzine newsletter from April 2008). It has to do with scrapbooking, but I found it particularly relevant. Read it here. I feel different than I did a week ago (probably the relief that I’m done not reading or the relief that I made it seven days without reading) and I feel stronger, better enabled to handle the creative goals I have in front of me. I feel good.
If you’re wondering what I’m talking about (lots of new visitors coming in from other places today), I am working my way through Julia Cameron’s Artist’s Way, a 12-week creative recovery program. Last week, week 4, requires the recovering creative to not read so as to open up other areas of life that might be buried under other people’s words. If you’re curious about Artist’s Way, check it out on Amazon here.
On deck for this week, some more book reviews, as I’m completely behind on my 48 books for 2010 updates. And some discussion on bad beliefs about failure and being artistic that I’ve been thinking about over the past month or so.
{ 2 comments }
Oh Trish, this is fabulous.
SO happy you had so many beautiful happenings this week. 
I love it. 
Miss you heaps!!
Thank you! I hope you are all settled (sort of) in your new digs. Cannot wait to come see them! Miss you a ton!
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