My apologies for another late Thursday's Children post - between the day job and my youngest son's spring break, it's been a little chaotic around here.
But, I'm finally here, and I'd like to talk about now. Let's make that NOW.
I had a yoga instructor and she'd always remind the class (usually while I was trying not to hurt myself or anyone else while attempting posed like The (advanced) Crow) to "Be here. Be present."
And I'd think to myself, "Well, duh. I'm here. I'm present. Can you not see me trying to keep my knee from going up my nose?"
But I wasn't present. Not really. I was thinking about Savasana (also known as The Corpse pose. No irony there... o.O). I was thinking about the last joyous five to ten minutes of class where I could just lay on my mat and know that I didn't have to try to contort my body into questionable positions or worry about kicking my neighbor in the face.
I wasn't really present in The Crow or any other pose. Not the way I should have been. I just wanted to move through the class and get on with the rest of my day. I enjoyed yoga infinitely more once the class was over, but I know I didn't get the most out of my classwork, because I wasn't really there. My mind was too busy racing ahead toward all of the things I needed to complete.
Often times, I think it's really easy to slip into the same trap with writing. I find myself slipping into future mode and entertaining thoughts like "When I finish this book..." or "When I get an agent..." or "When I sell this book..." instead of focusing on the here and now.
By doing that, I'm robbing myself of the now. The now is equally important - perhaps more so. The now is about getting to know my new characters, discovering their story, learning things about them and also making new discoveries about myself. The now is about the writing, the journeying - not skipping to the end and laying boneless on my yoga mat.
Without being here in the now, the future is a little hazier. And I have a feeling it won't be as satisfying without being present on the journey to get there.
So, I'm going to go back to my WIP and really enjoy the journey.
And who knows, I might even give yoga another go.
Don't forget to check out the Blog Hop, and join in, too!
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