She Did Laundry

I used to joke that She Did Laundry would be my epitaph, inscribed for all to marvel over on my headstone. (I don’t really want a headstone, but that’s another thing.) The problem is, it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy if I keep up my current trajectory. I’m not sure why it’s so hard to put aside mundane, daily tasks in order to do something creative, something that feeds the soul.

Is it procrastination? Most certainly. Fear of failure? Possibly. Poor time management? Hmmmm.... I used to say it was lack of time when my children were small, but that old chestnut won’t fly anymore (I love mixing metaphors). So here it is. I have more time, but I manage to fill it with anything I can. The more soul-sucking or boring the better. Not just laundry, but balancing the checkbook, doing bills, doing dishes, scrolling and deleting emails, checking social media. I mean, how many times a day do you need to check email? Realistically? Social Media? Seriously. It’s the quicksand of time. It’s a way to stall.

Intervention is needed. A complete change of modus operandi. I’m constantly preaching to “look up, see the world, move with intention” when I don’t do it myself. My most creative and productive period was when I didn’t do any of the mindless, time-eaters. At all. It's ironic that technological advances made to save time will rob you of time if you let them.

Will I give it all up? Probably not. My intention is to put it in perspective.

My intention is to create space for, well, creativity. As a good friend said to me many years ago, just Show Up.

I will report back.

                                                              Painting by Jonathan Green