Sometimes, it’s a break in a poem that surprises and informs, whether it’s a line break or a stanza break. Perhaps that’s why I am drawn to poetry forms that emphasize the end of a line, whether by rhyme as in a sonnet or a villanelle or by repetition, as in a ghazal (pronounced “guzzle”).
Sometimes, it’s a break in a life, or in a stream of activity that surprises and informs. I am in the process of turning back toward real life after a 10-day vacation. Half of that time was spent away, half was a “staycation.”
I gave myself permission – no, that’s not right. I was forced to give up my daily routine for a few days, and I’m observing my reaction. I managed to squeeze in my 10 minutes of meditation daily, but I didn’t have the space or privacy to do my daily yoga.
My solution is to double up on yoga for a few days to make sure I can check off every day in my calendar for June. I stopped going to the gym in April, and I’m still investigating as to why that is. Up until this vacation, I was working out at home 2-3 times a week, and now, even that has fallen aside.
I told myself that I would redouble my efforts before vacation’s end, but that hasn’t happened. The point is, that my reaction to stopping my daily routines has had different effects. With meditation, I pushed through, made sure it got done.
With yoga, I’m content to catch up. With exercise, I am taking an extended break, trusting I will get back to it when the time is right. My writing has continued. I brought my notebook and pens and my laptop with me on vacation.
I sent out my weekly newsletter when I was away. Then yesterday, for the first time, I missed my weekly newsletter deadline. I began by doing a free-write. I had plenty of time. Hours.
I wrote to find out what this week’s post was going to be about. I wrote 800 words. It turned out that what was most important, most urgent in my unconscious, was to enroll in a book coaching program. I have been thinking about this for months.
Suddenly, I was tired of the fear that was holding me back from progress on my memoir. I needed to get help right then and there, even though the process of enrolling took a couple of hours, even though it made me miss the deadline.
This is what I mean about breaks. Traveling on vacation causes a radical change of perspective. Time zones and sleeping patterns and eating habits get disrupted. I love traveling. I love getting away from the humdrum.
But I love returning, too. I learn to appreciate not only my daily routines, but also the comfort of a home bed, a Nespresso machine, a yoga mat. I learn about myself, about who I am when I return, about who is integrating into the daily life of a physician-writer.