still. not. reading.

So.  I'm still not reading.    No blogs, books, magazines, on-line articles, newspapers.  Nothing.  

Gotta say it's pretty weird.  

No I don't feel like I am having an amazing, cathartic, artistic awakening.  But I do feel like it's kind of been a good thing for me to do. 

I've been working on my quilt.  This is kind of a big deal for me because it was this thing sitting on a shelf in my office/sewing room. I walked by that quilt every day and every day thought to myself, "I need to get started on that."  It really bothered me that I wasn't working on it.  Now I am, and that feels really good.

I also played the piano.  First time in months.  Also another one of those things I walk by every day meaning to get to, but never quite do.

The thing about the quilting and the piano and even writing here is that when I don't get to them because I'm so busy with life I convince myself that those creative outlets are really not that important to me.  That I don't need them.  That they are not part of me, an important part of me.

But they are and I do need them and somehow this setting aside reading, making some space in my brain has given me a little time to think about that, get comfortable with the fact that I need those things, and to look for places in my day to fit them in.

Tomorrow I get on a plane for four hours -- yes, I am breaking the reading fast for that.  Trust me.  I have a brand new copy of The Monsters of Templeton which I can not wait to start.

Slowing Down

So have any of you done The Artist's Way?  This is my second try at it.    Today I hit week four -- the week of  Reading Deprivation.  Yeah, you are supposed to go one week without reading anything. 

Today was the first day of no reading and I have to say I was a little freaked out by it.  I kept wanting to wander in and mess around on the internet.  My son was excited because he figured it would mean I would play with him more.  Silly boy.  

OK.  I actually did play with him more.

I also pulled out the first quilt top I started when I started quilting three years ago and finally basted it.  Finally.  I also did a lot of sitting around doing nothing, which was nice.  I took a bunch of little 15 minute naps.  

I slowed down.  

I slowed down and I was a little more aware of my constant anxiety and I tried to let go of it a little.  

Maybe that is what it's about.  Slowing down, giving yourself permission to breath, be still, wonder, think, imagine.  

I did a lot of stuff around the house as well, in fact I had most of the chorish things done by 11:00 a.m. -- and usually I'm still struggling with them late in the afternoon because I've stuck so much in between working on them.

I don't know, this reading deprivation seems like it might be a little bit like hitting the reset button.  I think I might like it -- at least for a week.

Come next Saturday though?  Pretty sure I'll be doing some reading.