I turned off the computer around Saturday lunch time and didn’t turn it on until this morning. Monday. Over 24 hours without a word typed or an email read. It was heaven–and felt like a guilty indulgence.
Saturday morning I made carrot muffins. (This was when I was still kidding myself that I’d be writing thousands of words over the weekend and just needed to fuel up.) They were awesome. Lots of shredded carrot, and cinnamon and ginger for spice. I don’t use a recipe, since muffins are so forgiving. You just top up flour or milk to get the right consistency. Then through the rest of Saturday I ate far too many and re-read Terry Pratchett’s Unseen Academicals. He really is a writing god.
Sunday was sunshiny and lovely. Vitamin D was acquired, i.e. I sat around in the sun doing nothing. I made chicken stock, simmering for 4 hours, which is only something I do when I’m not doing anything else. I don’t know why stock (which looks after itself) strikes me as something I have to keep an eye on. Maybe one day I’ll get over it.
Toby, the golden retriever, got brushed and generously shared his fur. In retrospect, black sweatpants were not the wisest clothing choice on my part. But Toby looked lovely at the end of the process.
I checked the progress of my daikon–still looking like weeds. And how the tomatoes were ripening–really well, given that this is winter.
Can you pick the theme? I basically lazed away the weekend, and it was the best decision I’ve made in ages. As committed as I am to my word goals for the month (don’t ask! they’re insane), a break to renew my energy was a great idea.
And now, off to write! I hope you had a lovely weekend, too ๐
8 responses to “I ran away from my computer…”
Sounds like a wonderful way to recharge the batteries and leave your mind fresh to receive new ideas.
Are you sure you don't have a recipe? Those muffins sounded delish. ๐
Nope. Tipping stuff into a bowl till it looks about right is my chaotic baking method … unless its sponge cake, when I follow the recipe religiously–and bake it rarely ๐
Jenny food for the soul as well as the body comes when we relax, even if just for a small time period so glad you took days instead and enjoyed them! ๐
It's hard, isn't it, to shake that sense that we should be doing something, even something as simple as reading a book we've promised to review? Total time outs are wonderful.
Even when you aren't at your computer, your writerly brain is marinating ideas, solving plot issues, adding character depth.
That made me feel better — less guilty! and it's completely true. Thanks, Coleen ๐
Everybody needs to run away sometime. You deserved it. And it sounded like a great weekend–especially for Toby. ๐
Thanks, Maria! and Toby loved it ๐