You're walking through the grocery store, list in hand, kids in tow and you're so busy with what you need to accomplish and the various things on your mind, that the notion of taking time to write just seems unfathomable. Finding opportunities to be creative out of hectic days, let alone scheduling time to unleash your muse - it's just not happening.
And yet, when we do finally carve out that precious time, we can often become weighed down under the pressure. "At last! I've got two hours of uninterrupted time! I'd better make the most of it." I don't know about you, but I sometimes end up thinking too hard.
That's why it's a good idea to take it as it comes. Those little bursts of inspiration can be found in the everyday; even when you're busy. That thing that just happened in Aisle 7 that you chuckled at? That's a poem or a haiku just waiting to happen. Jot it down on your grocery list or smart phone. Carry a small notebook or pocket voice recorder and capture those moments. Notice the little things. The conversations you have with strangers. Children you encounter. The scenery on your drive home.
There's something in everything we do if we pay attention and stay in tune with our surroundings. Sometimes I'll even turn the annoyances into poems. It's a great way to transform something negative into something positive and even funny. It's one less angry anecdote to share with your spouse! I know my husband is infinitely grateful for that!
How many things happened to you today that could be potential poems? You might be surprised. It's a creative way to keep a journal of your day to day experiences, because once they're strung together, it's an interesting record of a time in your life and your take on things in those moments.
Just relax, live life and take it as it comes.
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This so much reminds me of "small stones" which I got introduced to about 2 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe idea was to write a daily observation ( a stone ) for a month. Later when I read those , I realized they made good triggers for more lengthy writes..
Check here : http://www.ahandfulofstones.com/
Thanks for this concept! I love the definition from the blog: "a small stone is a polished moment of paying proper attention."
DeleteI hadn't heard of "small stones" I love that. (Although, I've had kidney stones so many times, the term kind of gives me bad flashbacks. lol Maybe small pebbles!) Thanks for sharing the link. I'm going to go find out more.
DeleteI am so with you on this!! Many of my poems are simply this... and some are "small stones" but others become full length poems. I can sit with my children at a McDonald's play place and come out with a first draft of a poem... raw, perhaps and also perhaps perfect simply as it is.
ReplyDeleteLovely words of wisdom.
THANK YOU!
So true, isn't it Julie? Inspiration can come in the most unlikely of times and places.
DeleteBeing fully in the moment is a skill that I have to work on daily. This is a wonderful reminder that poetry can happen in the here and now if we can just make ourselves aware of all the beauty around us!
ReplyDeleteI find it's a great way to get me to be more in the moment. There is so much going on in our everyday lives; so much stimulus and stress. I completely agree; it's hard to stay in the moment. This seems to help.
DeleteYes, it is in the little moments that we can bring forth so much. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Morgan! I'm constantly looking to those little moments of inspiration. I find myself leaving the house thinking "I hope something unusual happens so I can write about it." ;)
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