Note to new readers: This post is part of my 30 Days of Writing Practice. I am allowing blocks of 10, 20 or 30 minutes of my day solely to putting my swirling thoughts on paper. No going back to edit which will only serve to stop the stream of consciousness. My writing buddy Kat and I (Wruddy for short), we call it writing from the heart. Please read my introduction for the full story.
I cannot recall exactly when I started a new habit of just sitting in the car for 10 minutes. Or for however long I need to, to get my bearings back. Or what spare minutes I have before I need to keep moving.
We all make grocery trips during the week. I would park the car in the shade away from the sun then I would decide to spend at least 10 minutes with myself. I occasionally drive to work. Then I would realise I came in early. Oh maybe 15 mins early. Wow. I could sit in the car and just be for 15 minutes. I listen to Norah Jones (NJ) singing oh so sweetly “You Ruined Me Now”. I switch off the engine. Roll the windows down halfway depending on the temperature outside. I then sit and just breathe.
Right now I am in Castle Towers and the car is parked against the wall. I have no view. I decide to write. I whip out my iPhone. NJ is in endless loops. She sings “Your chocolate eyes like buttons of lies“. Who writes lyrics like that? Obviously I have a massive crush on the song. It’s 1.42 Saturday afternoon. I hear the din of other cars parking around me. There is a faint smell of petrol. A bit musty. I shrug it off. If I had gone to Kellyville Plaza, I will have been gulping fresher air and some sun. But no matter. I am here. I open Evernote and write you a note. I write about what I am thinking. I am liking my 10 minute me time. I slow read today’s Wruddy page from Kat. I also slow read one of my Wruddy pages. I read my own work a lot. It relaxes me, confirms me, clears things for me. My own writing gives me clarity. I spend 10-15 minutes writing a Wruddy page or checking emails and replying. Quickly browse Instagram. Oh my favourite blogger has a new post. I read. I savour. I taste her beautiful writing. Uninterrupted. Guilt-free time. My own. It’s now 2pm. Time to go and get me some salad greens for my smoothie.
If I am at work, I take my 10-20 minute breaks by finding a spot away from my desk. It doesn’t have to be a quiet place. Sitting on a chair by the hallway has its own charm. I make sure my iPhone battery is sufficiently charged. Apparently, what I am doing is called buffering.
I have often stressed the importance of creating space (not just time) in your day, in your life, in your cells. Space allows us to expand, to get steady, like the roots of a tree. Space enables wellness, for it’s the constriction in our cells that causes disease and pain. – Sarah Wilson’s “try this trick: buffering“
I take my buffer when driving. At stop lights. Sitting in traffic. My world slows down with traffic. And I don’t mean traffic like in Edsa. I mean just a long queue at some intersection.
So it’s creating space. To breathe. To meditate. To pause. To recalibrate. To think joyful thoughts. To write. To sit and chat with your SELF.
It’s my 10 minute daily mind getaway. Taken as often during the day as required. How good is that? Try it today.
Thanks for keeping me company in this 30 Day trip. I hope to see you again tomorrow.
Love always,
Cha R-g
Who doesn’t like/LOVE Adele? And singing The Cure’s LOVESONG? Winner!
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