Free Your Mind

These days it seems like everyone struggles with work-life balance. Deadlines can be cruel, tensions can run high. Then, at the end of the day, there may be family responsibilities. At my house these include school pick-up, cooking, ferrying kids to activities, homework help, laundry, packing lunches, and so on. Somewhere in all that crazy chaos we’re all supposed to find time to do a whole slew of other “should dos,” including flossing once a day, stretching and exercising, keeping in touch with family, and—back to teeth, again—brushing the dog’s teeth!

Creators know that they can churn out decent product when motivated by a deadline. There’s nothing like a fire under you to set the muse alight. Still—hmm, that’s actually a fun choice of word here—still, there is great importance in finding a calm place for free association, mental freedom, and creative release.

I get this at the pool. Swimming three times a week with coached one-hour workouts gives me an hour of time where, apart from counting laps and remembering to keep my elbows high, I can let my brain sift through the minutiae of the day, mull over conundrums, and work through writing challenges.

Sometimes, I’ll have a Eureka moment. Other times, I’ll simply return home refreshed, tired, and ready for a good night’s sleep. There’s no doubt in my mind, that it’s great for my body and soul. But I don’t think I realized until the last year or so how valuable this time is to my creative pursuits. Thank goodness I enjoy it immensely, so it doesn’t rank down there with the “should dos” like brushing the pooch’s teeth.

Drop me a line to let me know if you can relate to this.