A little nothingness

Sally Bonkrude
GCN Columnist

1/19/2006 - It’s usually easy for me to come up with topics and thoughts to write these columns. However, today nothing comes to me. So, I sit and write about really nothing, which is a common tool for writers to get their “creative juices” flowing. I find myself wondering what it would be like to just relax in this space of empty thought. Instead, I find myself rereading and correcting the above sentences… it is scary to let go into this emptiness. I find myself worrying about time. I have way too much to do to be sitting and writing nothing and it’s highly unlikely I’ll actually send this in to the paper, anyway. Wasting time, or is it? What is my body telling me? How easy it is to distract the mind. Again, focusing on writing, focusing on thinking…. nothing. It’s like a self-induced meditative state that comes in and out of its own accord. I feel like I want to drag meaning out of it, analyze it, come to terms with it and then let go into a creative flow. Yet, it doesn’t work like that.

  Oh, but that’s it! That meditative state is part of the creative process and a part that I tend to want to skip over. I am in a bit of a whimsical mood, not really wanting to focus or complete this. This is why vacations are a necessity for productive, creative work. Again, instead of staying with writing I’m calling my daughter to check in on her and the grandkids. My daughter tells me that she’s having a theme voice recital for her students. She was browsing in the music store and happened upon a book of songs from “Fiddler on the Roof.” As she flipped through the pages she could see a whole recital based on this musical. This is often how ideas are born, no real intent, just relaxing in the moment thoughts come. Motivation comes out of doing nothing. When life is whirling out of control, motivation comes to a halt and your life becomes rigid as you run to keep up and in control. Part of the solution to motivation, creativity, and joy in life is to rest, vacation, stop or just veg in mindless activities.

  For me, even on vacations I usually have work to do. It seems impossible to get away from this mind frame. I know it’s important to understand the absolute necessity of down time, mindless time, time away from work. Culturally, we praise employees that work overtime, admire those hard workers, encourage our children to work hard and achieve success. But here’s the deal. Originality and creativity happen when you’re not pushing, when you’re relaxed and open. The best policy for companies would be to double the vacation time and insist on employees NOT working overtime. It would be great for companies to plan time together to play and time for an occasional long lunch. This is the place and time for inspiration, not slaving away with time-deadlines looming.

  I know it’s late for New Year’s resolutions, but remember I’m an advocate for resolutions being made when they make the most sense. So, I’m adding one for me. I plan to take long lunches, plan more free time into my day and take three vacations a year, even if I don’t leave my house. My plan is to accomplish NOTHING. Now, I’m in trouble. I can feel my parts worrying about my self-worth and need to achieve, welling up to throw a bit of a fit. So, I’m now encouraging them to relax and take a break. I’m reminding them that with rest, they will actually achieve more. (They like this.) My inner time managers are concerned about all this time off, but I remind them also of the importance of rest and ask for their help in finding this time in the day to do nothing and to also help plan totally mindless, relaxing vacations. (My husband will like that.) Maybe we could make this a Gilpin County community goal. That is, to take more time to do nothing, have long lunches and go on long vacations even if you don’t leave the house. Myself, I want to go where there are warm temperatures and no high winds. Come on, give it a try, it could be good!