Since Boxing Day I’ve been trying various gentle prompts to get my brain back in gear: walking outside when it isn’t absolutely tipping it down with rain; reviewing all the things I did this past year, month-by-month; taking down all the Christmas decorations; cleaning out piles of ‘things’; tidying the garden and strapping down loose items for the wild winds that blew through; and even an attempt at actual cleaning (obviously this was a short-lived last resort!)
Thank you for sharing your doldrums state of being. I'm sure the sun has a lot to do with it. Maybe you should come here. It's chilly and often sunny. Amazing what a difference a blue sky makes.
I'm happy to see you emphasize walking walking walking. That is the best remedy for anything. I take particular joy in the ideas and thoughts that come to me then away from the computer. It's nice to know things are simmering even when I'm not thinking about them and pecking at the keyboard.
I wonder if you should just go with the flow and keep in this rhythm of lull into your mind and body tell you it's time to go back to writing. Maybe there's a reason for the lack of inspiration and creativity now. It could be that it's all just simmering and congealing now waiting until it's more prepared before it's ready to be served on the plate.
I think about it like being sick (which I am right now so that's the metaphor that comes to mind). I have to wait until my body tells me little by little when I can get into action. I have to trust it knows.
Just a thought. In any case, I'm sure you'll be back on the path soon.
Thanks Andrea, you do have some wise words there. It is hard to be patient when my mind is alternately telling me what I SHOULD be doing versus what it doesn't seem to be capable of ACTUALLY doing. So I walk. Thank heavens for walking. And reading. And, yes, being patient. I did find that sitting down and just letting my words come out without an end goal helped start the flow again (along with some good music and small at-desk dancing). But thank you for reminding me to be patient and know the words will come when they are ready. Wishing you the same patience as you recover from your illness too! Take care and happy 2025!
After the holiday bustle and stress, Sonya and I rang in the New Year with friends at their cabin outside Hyampom, in Trinity County. We drove up on Sunday, and it’s been chilly and wet pretty much the whole time, which means lots of reading, eating, and just sitting in front of the wood stove, punctuated by the occasional rainy walk in the woods… although we did drive into town for the New Year’s Eve buffet at the Bent Canoe. Personally, I’m a big believer in what Heather called “dreaming time” in one of her essays; we burrow in before we blossom forth again.
Ah, dreaming time! What a good name for it, and with such a lovely positive spin. Your week away sounds very relaxing and quite a change from urban environments. Good dream time potential indeed! Thanks for sharing your transition to the the new year and a lovely way to rebrand (to me anyway) the 'Betwixmas' term very commonly used here. Happy 2025 to you and Sonya!
Amazing what a bit of sun can do for one's mood. Yesterday, New Year's Day was a gloomy overcast. Not the white high clouds of bright fog, just dark blue cloud cover that threatened but didn't produce rain. Texts to local friends indicated that all of us were still in our pajamas during the afternoon with little or no plan to get out of them! We embraced the brain and body fog with the hope that things would be different the following day. And yes, the sun is out today and I'm back to work. One foot in front of the other.
I don't like to hear that others feel gloomy too, but it IS comforting. And yes, always three cheers for some winter warming sun! Walking outside each day is the thing that keeps me going, one foot in front of the other, as you say. Happy New Year to you!
You captured my mental state perfectly. I love the photos you’ve included and yes, it was a busy year last year. Lots of fun, travels to see family and friends, a trip to Orcas Island ) I hadn’t been there in 50 years! ) with a dear friend, water damage which enabled me to update my house, acting in a play that brings live theatre to 6,500 children, and designing and executing garden designs.
Your trips sounded wonderful and your garden work so inspiring. I’m very proud of your accomplishments in the garden.
Now I’m ’moving’ back in to my house, unpacking and sorting through Peter’s and my treasures of 38 years. It’s a bit daunting, but as you said, one foot in front of the other and it will be done. The sun peering out today helps motivate me, though sometimes I want to live the part I have in the play this year (the Earthworm in James and the Giant Peach) and burrow in the dirt….
Thank you for your illustrious musings and your inspiration! I truly enjoy them.
Oh Lucy, you are so very kind! Thank you. I am so delighted to hear of all your activities in 2024. I remember your stories of attending summer camp on Orcas Island...what fun to revisit it now! And your acting is truly inspiring to me! Good for you.
I can imagine that the 'revising' of your house and now going through all the 'things' is both an emotional and also very cleansing journey for you. Hopefully alternated with time in your beloved garden getting your hands dirty in the soil to keep yourself grounded. At least that always works for me. Plus walking walking walking. Always.
Sending love and looking forward to seeing you later this year. xx
Hi Sabrina, Happy New Year! I am guessing that your natural rhythm will eventually come round when it is time for you to return in earnest to your desk, Meanwhile, enjoy the walks!
Happy New Year Tim! Thank you for your encouragement. After I finish this cup of tea I will be out on a morning walk to avoid the predicted rain coming later this morning! The writing is coming back, slowly, slowly. I hope your new year is progressing in the best way you desire! Cheers!
I loved this, Sabrina. This: "I fear perhaps that detachment is also causing a detachment from life itself" really resonated with me. I have been feeling similarly and it is always nice to know you aren't the only one (as I hope it is for you too). But then the poem and the music and ending on this positive note was a real lift. Thank you for sharing your words and of yourself. Onward ever, backward never! And happy new year! 🎉❤️
Oh thank you Jayne. I really scared myself with that sentence. It is true but I don't want it to be. Sorry/reassured to know you feel that way too. And scaring myself I tried to figure out how to move away from detachment to at least feeling something. Even if the 'something' was silly dancing and singing in front of my laptop! I love 'onward ever, backward never!' Brilliant! And yes, happy new year to you too! Can't wait to hear more about your book! x
I can totally understand that! It’s a hard thing to own. That’s why I was grateful to you for being brave and putting it out there 😊
I thinking singing and dancing is really powerful. I might go and do the same myself after having been sitting at a screen all day, so thank you for that too!
Thank you for the good wishes about the book. It’s a great feeling and I’m enjoying that, whatever may come next 😊 xxx
I'm just trying to formulate a post and feeling the exact same way. The dangerous thing, I think, when one has committed to a weekly post, is taking time off because one actually 'times out' and it's hard to get back into the rhythm. It's the same with training for sports or not doing one's hobbies for awhile. Socialising. Even writing a book!
I love the idea of dreaming time and curse that I didn't use a notebook to grasp thoughts as they passed through. I have a vision of Dumbledore's Pensieve, where I could examine thoughts at a later date when I need to.
Seems to me, just with this piece, Sabrina, that you are back into it as softly and gently as a fragment of thistledown. The nicest way to be.
Love this gentle comment Prue. I'm sorry to hear you are feeling the same way-so many of us are. It is, as you rightly point out, a consequence of taking a break and then being surprised that we can't start right back up again without any ramping.
And what a great comparison with the amazing Pensieve! I love that bit of magic and am with you wishing we had that for all of us.
One of the wonderful bits of reading I loved this past week or so was your book Passages. I loved loved loved every minute I spent reading there, and couldn't wait to find the time to escape with your characters to the gorgeous beloved Tasmanian landscape. How beautifully written and gently inspirational. Thank you for sharing those words with all of us. I can't wait for the next one! (Is there one before the one you are working on now?)
Meantime, I will get on with my own project and try to reclaim that 'fragment of thistledown' I did manage to find for awhile when writing this post. ❤️
PS, I'm SO excited for your new terrier to be part of your life! 🐾
We're excited too, Sabrina and as nervous as all get-out because we realised today that it's maybe 20+ years since we've had a sole puppy. Normally, we've had a more mature dog in situ and a new pup would settle very quickly with the housemate. But we can't even REMEMBER what a sole pup feels like and just hope this young chap is as good as his seriously quiet demeanour appears.
Re the new book - it revisits characters from Passage and half is set on my coast, but the opening half sees the protagonists (new characters) in Melbourne, where we lived for 15 years. It is set maybe two years after Passage.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Passage. It's an affirming book, I suppose, and of the 14 books across a mix of genres, it's one of my most favourites. Thank you so much for buying it and for taking the time to read and being so kind about it. That's a wonderful NY's gift to me.
Thank you for sharing your doldrums state of being. I'm sure the sun has a lot to do with it. Maybe you should come here. It's chilly and often sunny. Amazing what a difference a blue sky makes.
I'm happy to see you emphasize walking walking walking. That is the best remedy for anything. I take particular joy in the ideas and thoughts that come to me then away from the computer. It's nice to know things are simmering even when I'm not thinking about them and pecking at the keyboard.
I wonder if you should just go with the flow and keep in this rhythm of lull into your mind and body tell you it's time to go back to writing. Maybe there's a reason for the lack of inspiration and creativity now. It could be that it's all just simmering and congealing now waiting until it's more prepared before it's ready to be served on the plate.
I think about it like being sick (which I am right now so that's the metaphor that comes to mind). I have to wait until my body tells me little by little when I can get into action. I have to trust it knows.
Just a thought. In any case, I'm sure you'll be back on the path soon.
Thanks Andrea, you do have some wise words there. It is hard to be patient when my mind is alternately telling me what I SHOULD be doing versus what it doesn't seem to be capable of ACTUALLY doing. So I walk. Thank heavens for walking. And reading. And, yes, being patient. I did find that sitting down and just letting my words come out without an end goal helped start the flow again (along with some good music and small at-desk dancing). But thank you for reminding me to be patient and know the words will come when they are ready. Wishing you the same patience as you recover from your illness too! Take care and happy 2025!
After the holiday bustle and stress, Sonya and I rang in the New Year with friends at their cabin outside Hyampom, in Trinity County. We drove up on Sunday, and it’s been chilly and wet pretty much the whole time, which means lots of reading, eating, and just sitting in front of the wood stove, punctuated by the occasional rainy walk in the woods… although we did drive into town for the New Year’s Eve buffet at the Bent Canoe. Personally, I’m a big believer in what Heather called “dreaming time” in one of her essays; we burrow in before we blossom forth again.
Ah, dreaming time! What a good name for it, and with such a lovely positive spin. Your week away sounds very relaxing and quite a change from urban environments. Good dream time potential indeed! Thanks for sharing your transition to the the new year and a lovely way to rebrand (to me anyway) the 'Betwixmas' term very commonly used here. Happy 2025 to you and Sonya!
Amazing what a bit of sun can do for one's mood. Yesterday, New Year's Day was a gloomy overcast. Not the white high clouds of bright fog, just dark blue cloud cover that threatened but didn't produce rain. Texts to local friends indicated that all of us were still in our pajamas during the afternoon with little or no plan to get out of them! We embraced the brain and body fog with the hope that things would be different the following day. And yes, the sun is out today and I'm back to work. One foot in front of the other.
I don't like to hear that others feel gloomy too, but it IS comforting. And yes, always three cheers for some winter warming sun! Walking outside each day is the thing that keeps me going, one foot in front of the other, as you say. Happy New Year to you!
Happy New Year dear Sabrina,
You captured my mental state perfectly. I love the photos you’ve included and yes, it was a busy year last year. Lots of fun, travels to see family and friends, a trip to Orcas Island ) I hadn’t been there in 50 years! ) with a dear friend, water damage which enabled me to update my house, acting in a play that brings live theatre to 6,500 children, and designing and executing garden designs.
Your trips sounded wonderful and your garden work so inspiring. I’m very proud of your accomplishments in the garden.
Now I’m ’moving’ back in to my house, unpacking and sorting through Peter’s and my treasures of 38 years. It’s a bit daunting, but as you said, one foot in front of the other and it will be done. The sun peering out today helps motivate me, though sometimes I want to live the part I have in the play this year (the Earthworm in James and the Giant Peach) and burrow in the dirt….
Thank you for your illustrious musings and your inspiration! I truly enjoy them.
All the best to you and Pete in 2025,
Lucy
Oh Lucy, you are so very kind! Thank you. I am so delighted to hear of all your activities in 2024. I remember your stories of attending summer camp on Orcas Island...what fun to revisit it now! And your acting is truly inspiring to me! Good for you.
I can imagine that the 'revising' of your house and now going through all the 'things' is both an emotional and also very cleansing journey for you. Hopefully alternated with time in your beloved garden getting your hands dirty in the soil to keep yourself grounded. At least that always works for me. Plus walking walking walking. Always.
Sending love and looking forward to seeing you later this year. xx
Hi Sabrina, Happy New Year! I am guessing that your natural rhythm will eventually come round when it is time for you to return in earnest to your desk, Meanwhile, enjoy the walks!
Happy New Year Tim! Thank you for your encouragement. After I finish this cup of tea I will be out on a morning walk to avoid the predicted rain coming later this morning! The writing is coming back, slowly, slowly. I hope your new year is progressing in the best way you desire! Cheers!
This is beautiful Sabrina and I’ve been thinking of your thoughtful words all day, as well as the wonderful and varied comments! Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to read, ponder and comment! All are appreciated ❤️
I loved this, Sabrina. This: "I fear perhaps that detachment is also causing a detachment from life itself" really resonated with me. I have been feeling similarly and it is always nice to know you aren't the only one (as I hope it is for you too). But then the poem and the music and ending on this positive note was a real lift. Thank you for sharing your words and of yourself. Onward ever, backward never! And happy new year! 🎉❤️
Oh thank you Jayne. I really scared myself with that sentence. It is true but I don't want it to be. Sorry/reassured to know you feel that way too. And scaring myself I tried to figure out how to move away from detachment to at least feeling something. Even if the 'something' was silly dancing and singing in front of my laptop! I love 'onward ever, backward never!' Brilliant! And yes, happy new year to you too! Can't wait to hear more about your book! x
I can totally understand that! It’s a hard thing to own. That’s why I was grateful to you for being brave and putting it out there 😊
I thinking singing and dancing is really powerful. I might go and do the same myself after having been sitting at a screen all day, so thank you for that too!
Thank you for the good wishes about the book. It’s a great feeling and I’m enjoying that, whatever may come next 😊 xxx
I'm just trying to formulate a post and feeling the exact same way. The dangerous thing, I think, when one has committed to a weekly post, is taking time off because one actually 'times out' and it's hard to get back into the rhythm. It's the same with training for sports or not doing one's hobbies for awhile. Socialising. Even writing a book!
I love the idea of dreaming time and curse that I didn't use a notebook to grasp thoughts as they passed through. I have a vision of Dumbledore's Pensieve, where I could examine thoughts at a later date when I need to.
Seems to me, just with this piece, Sabrina, that you are back into it as softly and gently as a fragment of thistledown. The nicest way to be.
Love this gentle comment Prue. I'm sorry to hear you are feeling the same way-so many of us are. It is, as you rightly point out, a consequence of taking a break and then being surprised that we can't start right back up again without any ramping.
And what a great comparison with the amazing Pensieve! I love that bit of magic and am with you wishing we had that for all of us.
One of the wonderful bits of reading I loved this past week or so was your book Passages. I loved loved loved every minute I spent reading there, and couldn't wait to find the time to escape with your characters to the gorgeous beloved Tasmanian landscape. How beautifully written and gently inspirational. Thank you for sharing those words with all of us. I can't wait for the next one! (Is there one before the one you are working on now?)
Meantime, I will get on with my own project and try to reclaim that 'fragment of thistledown' I did manage to find for awhile when writing this post. ❤️
PS, I'm SO excited for your new terrier to be part of your life! 🐾
We're excited too, Sabrina and as nervous as all get-out because we realised today that it's maybe 20+ years since we've had a sole puppy. Normally, we've had a more mature dog in situ and a new pup would settle very quickly with the housemate. But we can't even REMEMBER what a sole pup feels like and just hope this young chap is as good as his seriously quiet demeanour appears.
Re the new book - it revisits characters from Passage and half is set on my coast, but the opening half sees the protagonists (new characters) in Melbourne, where we lived for 15 years. It is set maybe two years after Passage.
I'm so glad you enjoyed Passage. It's an affirming book, I suppose, and of the 14 books across a mix of genres, it's one of my most favourites. Thank you so much for buying it and for taking the time to read and being so kind about it. That's a wonderful NY's gift to me.
XXXX