Really loving this insight in all its parts from Linda Gribko novel, Giving Voice to Dawn.
Well, what if the entire purpose of life is to find joy in the face of pain, love in the presence of hate, and opportunities to be creative in the throes of relentless routine? What if that’s all there is to it?
Damn fine question. We’ve heard most of it before. The bit that struck me was the last, finding opportunities “to be creative in the throes of relentless routine.” It’s what made me start typing in this space, in spite of my desire to run away into routine work to escape the mental effort of forming my own words.
I spend most of my time taking care of other people’s words. It’s easier. I’ve been trying to figure out why I procrastinate so much on my own writing, whether prose or poetry, and I think it’s that routine thing. Editing and typesetting other people’s writing has become second nature. I have all these mental processes running like highways through my brain, so my mind doesn’t have to work that hard (I know, if you don’t do book editing or layout for a living, you’re thinking about how hard that would be!). That’s the ease of routine, and also the danger of becoming addicted to these well-worn mental roadways.
I admire and envy the few (like Linda and some other writers I know) who dare to get off their mental highways (and in Linda’s case, get on their metaphorical donkeys) and explore less traveled roads and even trails into inventive, creative writing (or any other creative activity).
Please take this little article as a push to find some time today (it’s there) to create something outside of your normal routine (get back to the piano? take up your knitting? take up your pen? prune in the garden?)
And, thanks, Linda, for the push. I need to go find my donkey . . .