A witches spell?
I find writing so calming yet inspiring and it draws on my creativity; it’s satisfying. When I write I relax and get ideas about what comes next. Your feedback suggests that my ideas are helpful and as I like to say, “If I know it, I’ll share it” although that doesn’t apply to your secrets and dreams (but you know that already).
I haven’t yet shared all the wisdom I poured into my manuscript about being the best candidate. It was my intention to create a useful job search guide and early drafts got rave reviews from several hand-picked readers. Then I got cold feet; I lost my nerve. Somehow the idea seemed too grown-up. Maybe I was too critical of myself and although I knew that my advice was (and remains) sound I began to question whether it was worthy of publication. Perhaps it’s time to break out The Masked Recruiter?
A hectic month found me sitting at the dining table in late October staring at a little Halloween witch from New England. She’d fallen from the cupboard during one of my whirlwind organising sessions and broken a leg. This little witch was a gift from a friend on her return from an Autumn business trip around 15 years ago. She has a button-filled body (that’s the witch by the way), and her legs are miniature cotton reels with buttons in between. While the house was being decorated, I challenged myself to sort out the clutter we’d amassed during our five-year tenure. That’s when it happened. Buttons bounced all over the floor as a leg thread came loose.
I’m not superstitious and made a hasty repair although my little witch endured Halloween with one leg longer than the other. That bothered me and my Halloween gift now has two new and well-secured legs of equal length as she waits patiently in the cupboard for her next celebration. I surprised myself at how much time I invested in repairs although I’m a sentimental soul. Somehow Halloween wouldn’t have been the same without my familiar and well-travelled witch.
Organised and clutter-free cupboards are satisfying for a while, but what’s next? I’m thrilled that a charity will get benefit from the sale of my cast-offs, and some of my friends are enjoying the challenges of upcycling my unwanted possessions. The study has been liberated; unwanted books and papers recycled, and keepsakes revisited but I need a new project to throw myself into.
I have fond memories of chatting to a wonderfully cheerful receptionist about why she came back to work after early retirement. Her dreams were shattered when her family came home, and she found herself straightening the loo roll or rewashing the dishes to her newly established standards. Put simply, she’d too much time on her hands and missed the challenge of directing ungrateful visitors to the correct department.
Apart from knowing how I love a good sort out; you may be wondering why any of this is significant. Well, I’ve been thinking about why so many of us find it difficult to exist without challenge in our busy lives. I’ve learned that decluttering helps me to organise my thoughts and inspires me “to do”, but I’m not sure how that works in any detail.
Many of my ideas for stories begin with walking up and down in the pool or watching the birds in the garden. The environments are quite different yet relaxing, although I seldom spend time simply being still with my thoughts except when I’m in the garden. How do you like to relax?
How did spending time repairing the little button-filled witch prompt my thoughts about fresh challenges? Perhaps it’s because the house is so organised, the garden is taking care of itself, and I don’t want to learn how to straighten the loo paper. Now where did I leave that manuscript?
Why not get in touch to chat about how you relax or your need to get back to work and what you want to do next? Let’s talk.
