Thursday, February 17, 2011

Idle

It occurred to me that times when I slowed down-in the 12 by 12 and at other points in my life-were ironically the times when I got the most work done. Creativity flows smoothly out of nonaction, from the deep wells of idleness...When you moodle, your subconscious works out the aesthetics and structure without the overactive rational mind's interference.
William Powers Twelve by Twelve

As I was born a city kid, brought up in shopping malls, cars and community centers, I wasn't trained to take time for the idle mind. Every second of the day was filled with school or work or some effort to distract myself. Now in a place where I work according to my own schedule and from home, I have ample time for day dreaming and meditating even with a 9 month old daughter. One day each week in particular has allotted me 2 uninterrupted hours for such, and I look forward to it greatly. In the car on the way to San Miguel, after the morning commotion, as the hum of my CR-V sings Tallulah to sleep and Bronte sits sullenly in the backseat listening to the latest pop tunes, I am free to drift. Even in the confines of the car, I think far and wide, many times inspired by the endless landscape of mountains, horses, and blue sky. It is often in this space, Joe Purdy's voice lulling through the stereo, that I have revelations. As I stated in a previous blog, I was deemed at an early age the air head of the family. Daydreaming has always come easily and been precious to me, and though it can be irritating to others, I believe there is a value in it, that the ubiquity of diversions from silence in our present day has hindered. Though not all of us have the ability or inclination to live in the midst of ever inciteful wilderness, I posit that nothing can revitalize the mind like allowing it to roam without boundaries, even if the body remains on the metaphoric hamster wheel. So the next time you are stuck in traffic, or in line at the bank, instead of focusing on your wasted time, remember that there is no such thing. These times of seemingly endless waiting can be filled with the birth of ideas or the manifesting of an ideal life. Take time to observe all around you; the person rolling 2 miles an hour next to you singing their heart out, the kind interactions of strangers, people laughing. Allow yourself to be inspired by the previously mundane. In being consumed by the present moment and letting your creative mind flow, the everyday drudge of a car ride on the freeway could turn into the awakening that changes your life.

1 comment:

  1. two miles an hour! I was just thinking about that. I tots agree...and this comes with alarmingly good timing for my argument with dad this evening (yay!). driving is my favorite way to think too, one of my teachers said I was weird because of that!

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