Nurture

It has been so hot. Yesterday it was 104 and for some in Southern California, it was even higher.

After laying out for ten minutes, I jumped in the pool in Oak Hills. It felt so refreshing, I had to jump in over and over. We only stayed in the pool for an hour. I could tell that my arms were turning red even with sunscreen. But the water, it felt like an icy cool healing. (Of course, I got water in my ears and spent the rest of the night jiggling my earlobes.)

It was soul sustaining that water. That's what writing is for me. Like jumping into cool water and when I come up after diving in, I can finally breathe. 

I have always had an ability to completely engross myself in something. For good and for bad. Television, music, writing. Yesterday afternoon, I spent hours watching a new Netflix chef competition show. My husband commented, "For someone who doesn't cook, you sure watch a lot of cooking shows."

I did no writing. I drank coffee, and about one pm, we ate desserts we had picked up instead of lunch. For dinner, I went and grabbed us a pizza to go so my husband wouldn't feel pressure to cook outside on the  grill in the heat.

I am starting to realize that not every day has to a writing day. Some days are just days when I want to drink my coffee and read or watch television. I never want writing to become another chore. Yes, it sustains me, and I need to stay on track with it, but it's also my joy, and life is hard enough without corrupting my passion. 

I've learned that my best stories come out after percolating for a bit and I'm just a vessel. They almost write themselves and it's more about the intention and putting myself in a place to receive, than about making myself do anything. I just want to have fun with it. So here's to finding your joy and nurturing it, while taking care of yourself too. 

And now it's my coffee time.