“Writing is a way to escape from the hard realities of life,” my stylist said as she lifted a long strand of my hair and snipped. “Really, when I write, I feel like I’m getting a break.”
“I can completely relate.” I held my head still even though I wanted to jump up and down and nod in agreement.
“My husband just doesn’t get it.” Her fingers and the scissors danced around my head. “But after working full time and taking care of the kids, I need something to take my mind off everything else. My writing and reading do that.”
“I hear you. I need something else to focus on too—besides my kids and homeschooling.” My hair-standing-on-end, wet-dog reflection in the mirror stared back at me. “When we’re busy and life is crazy, writing is really—well, like a gift. Isn’t it?”
That conversation with my stylist is similar to ones I’ve had with other friends over the past year. Maybe not all my friends are writers, like my stylist or me. But many of us are struggling with the same issues—being busy and trying to balance our time. The pressures and demands of our hectic lives begin to take their toll on us.
What I’ve realized is that writing really is a gift. At this point in my life, when I’m busy with the demands of mothering and teaching and running a house, my stories give me a change of place, something else to focus on for a little while besides the everyday craziness around me.
Sure, I still look at my writing as a job, something I take seriously. But it’s also a pleasure and an enjoyment that adds refreshment, creativity, and joy to my life.
Don’t we all need something like that in our lives, something out of the ordinary that takes us away from the mundane tediousness of everyday life?
Maybe it’s gardening, or playing the piano, or running, or reading, or any number of activities. Whatever it is, if it makes us a healthier, better person, then we should embrace it, see it as a gift, something special to treasure.
One of my favorite songs is titled “Blink” by a pop band called Revive. I love the way the song reminds us that life happens in a blink. Here are some of the words:
“Teach me to number my days and count every moment, before it slips away;
Take in all the colors before they fade to gray;
I don’t want to miss even just a second more of this . . .
It happens in blink, it happens in a flash, it happens in the time it takes to look back.
I try to hold on tight, but there’s no stopping time, what is it I’ve done with my life?
It happens in a blink. It happens in a blink.”
Here’s a poignant video of the song along with the lyrics (video credit to Bob Marshall). You’re welcome to watch it if you have the time!
Life is short. It really does happen in a blink.
I don’t want to get so caught up in the crazy pace that I forget to savor the pure joys of living—the shared laughs with my twin daughters, the butterfly kisses with my princess, the whispered dreams of my little guy, and so much more.
And my writing. For all the hardships that accompany the writing life, I don’t want to forget it really is all about the pleasure of weaving stories.
What about you? Are you savoring life? What GIFT (writing or otherwise) do you have that helps put joy into your life?
Jody Hedlund
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My life has a different balance than writers who have children, are homeschooling them or otherwise, and a busy, full household. In my case, taking a break from the writing long enough to smell the roses elsewhere is the challenge. A recent gift (literally, it was my extravagant birthday gift to myself) was to break away for a writers retreat (yes, it was writing-related, but I took NO work along, first break this year) on Cannary Row in Monterey. Such a refreshing time.
Hi Lori,
I love hearing your perspective! Sometimes I think we can get so caught up in our story worlds and the publication adventure that we forget to live real life! 🙂 Sometimes I have to remind myself to slow down and notice all that’s happening around me. That’s really where our writing life and ideas come from anyway, right? 🙂
For me, it’s the gift of friendship. I tend to become a hermit when I’m super busy or dealing with stuff. I kind of shut down and do lose perspective. Recently a friend and I connected after ten years. It was at her initiative and it was so much fun to catch up but we wondered how we let ten years pass by without even a phone call. All that time definitely felt like a blink. Love that song, by the way. Never heard it before.
Since our wedding ten years ago, my husband and I have savored each day as we are God’s “second chance” for each other. We were often off on traveling adventures. This year life changed dramatically when my father-in-law moved in. He is a dear and a delight, yet at 103-years old we suddenly have very different schedules and priorities. I’m so grateful for a nearby park where I can go for refreshment as I walk amongst God’s creation, celebrate the ability to walk without a walker, see the beautiful colors, and have two dear men to return home to.
Beautiful thoughts!
Writing really is a gift! When deadlines and ToDo lists begin to weigh me down, the work can begin to feel like homework. So much of what I try to do with my writing is about REMEMBERING and getting back in touch with how much fun it is to imagine characters and scenes. It most certainly is a mental vacation to another place! And something that’s just ‘my’ thing — my passion. Thanks for the reminder to smell the roses!
Thanks for sharing today, Jody – – and for the video too. Great reminder to treasure each moment and each day.
I’m finding that as I grow older (and hopefully a tiny bit wiser, although that’s debatable, LOL) I am truly realizing
just how FAST the time really does zip by. What’s been so amazing (and a wee bit sad too) is how quickly my kiddos
have grown. There are days I feel like they should all still be little and living here at home.
But I’ve decided since none of us can turn back the clock, I treasure the ages they are now, and live each day to the fullest.
Love, Patti Jo
Hi Everyone!
Thank you all for your lovely thoughts today! You continue to inspire me with all of your gifts and comments! Thank you! 🙂
What brings joy to me is the time I spend at Church on Sundays and Wednesdays. However, I believe the greatest impact of what really brings me delight and joy in relationships does pretty much happen in my Sunday School Class, which by the way is aptly named The Joy Class. (We’re the senior ladies, many of us widows like me, of the Church. 🙂 We really love each other and greatly enjoy our time together which is really never enough.