The
following is another snippet from my upcoming book … one that did not
make the cut for Writing on the Landscape.
“Doing nothing but divert, which I had
done for a couple of weeks, had taken its toll on my psyche. I longed, desperately,
for the cool breeze of productivity to push through that summertime window—past
the blistering heat of midday—and sweep me off my feet. I am a romantic; I
don’t mind being carried away with something.
Excuses had held me fast: bound up
and tortured.
I began doing those “maintenance” chores
that are arguably unnecessary: deep-cleaning the house, making elaborate meals,
scrubbing years-old stains off dishes I hardly use, bathing with unprecedented
frequency and thoroughness, running errands that could’ve waited.
To really fill up the remnants of the day—during
my dry spell with writing—I began to conjure up truly unnecessary tasks such as
reorganizing the coffee packets in their jar (decaf to the left, please; caffeinated
on the right); using the pet tool to remove the undercoat of the cat; counting
how many calculators I have right here at my desk, and trying to decide if I
should give all but one away; doing useless and repetitive calculations on
those calculators; finding every spare item to be laundered (old hankies,
under-sink floor mats, an old rag I’ve never used but which seemed just a tad
too dusty).
I am serious; just as that last sentence
droned on and on, so too did my attention to useless tasks.
Today, after vacuuming the entire house
(the animals are shedding; I needed
to!), I did a few more diversionary activities such as repositioning a rug—and
the plant on the other side of the room while I was at it, and making small
talk (which, as an introvert, I loathe) with a stranger while we watched someone
load furniture into his vehicle. And, it was so scorching hot that I could not
be out on the black pavement barefooted without burning my feet. But I remained
nonetheless because the only other thing weighing on my mind in that moment was
sitting down to write.
Sometimes doing dubiously-useful tasks feels
so much better than facing the fear or hardship of writing. So, I will find
anything to distract me from the task of writing. And I love writing; I really do! It is just that sometimes doing a small
task that is easily accomplished is more enticing than chipping away at the big
writing project.”
All blog images created & photographed by Jennifer J. Wilhoit unless otherwise noted. Please circulate images with photo credit: "©2017 JenniferJWilhoit/TEALarbor stories. AllRightsReserved."
