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Wednesday 11 December 2013

When do you get to just be?


 
The Christmas tree is up and my fountain pen's enjoying a rare outing as I work my way through the Christmas card list, but what I’m looking forward to most is just being. I hosted for eighteen last year and this year we're going to my dad's for a few days. No post, no bills, no important emails, no food shopping, no cleaning to be done, no clothes to be ironed and no need to get up early. Time to see family, to consume food and drink and to just be.
 Jules Wake and me at the RNA London Chapter lunch-a great afternoon
I was on a train last Saturday, en route to the RNA London Chapter lunch and I resisted the temptation to check my mobile and to read my Kindle; to see if I could survive a train journey without them, like in the old days when I didn’t have a book or newspaper and I had to look out of the window. Just being heightens the senses. You notice the way the sun catches the light on the leaves, yellowed by autumn; the clickety-clack of the wheels on the track, the whoosh and whistle as another train zooms past, the tannoy announcements when the train pulls into a station, the beep beep beep warning that the doors are closing and the way they slam shut. It was nice to let my mind wander and see where it went. And it wandered to…I must write my December blog post soon. What should it be about? Just being.
Just being has to be good for you doesn’t it? And essential for writers, because when else do you get to do that vital thinking? When else can ideas pop into your head, how can they when all those other thoughts are fighting to be thought about?

Today I had an idea for a series of children’s books whilst having my hair done; yes, I’d love to write children’s books when I’ve rewritten the end of Book 1 and finished Book 2 and mastered the art of short story writing, if that’s possible (I’m working on one of those too). Who knows if writing children’s books will happen? By the time I get around to it, my children will probably have grown up, but it’d be nice to give writing one a go. Just being allows all sorts of ideas to drop into the inbox of the mind.

And here's a pic taken on the lovely Lizzie Lamb's phone at the RNA Winter Party (thanks Lizzie!). I did wear the gold shoes, mentioned in my previous post and they did make my feet very sore indeed...
Liz Cooper, me, Lizzie Lamb, Shani Struthers
Hope you have a great Christmas and a very Happy New Year! And thank you for all your support in 2013.

16 comments:

  1. The opportunity doesn't present itself often enough, therefore, like writing, I should MAKE time for it.

    Hmmm sounds like another New Years resolution :)

    Good post Anita. Have a great Christmas and enjoy just being.

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    1. Definitely Shauna! Lovely to hear from you. Thanks for visiting and hope you have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year.x

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  2. You put me to shame, having your tree up already and being so prepared.

    Happy 2014! It sounds as if it's going to be a lovely year for your writing.

    Liz xx

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    1. Liz-I had absolutely nothing to do with the tree! My husband and the kids did it all while I made lunch on Sunday. I've now got the chocolates to go on it which won't last very long (especially as I got some of those Lindt bears...). It was lovely to see you at the RNA London Chapter lunch on Saturday. Hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year Liz x

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  3. Great post Anita. It reminded me of a Paragraph Planet submission I wrote called 'The Death of Daydreaming' when I too noticed that no one on the train looked out of the window as everyone was staring at their phones etc. It also touched a chord after reading an article I saw a link to on Twitter today http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/12/right-be-lazy which might interest you. Enjoy just being over Christmas x

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    1. Hi Helen, thanks for reading and for the link-interesting article. Will look up your paragraph. Hope you have a relaxing Christmas and a Happy New Year!x

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  4. Looking good! I so agree with you,if only we all had the courage to leave all our kindles and ipad and phones behind for a little while.I actually hate that people can get in touch woith me everywhere I go and want to know what I'm doing.

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    1. Thanks for reading Anne and for your comment. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year. Must go and look at your latest Turkey blog post.x

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  5. Great, inspiring post, Anita. It's funny we were talking about the need for space to think only yesterday at home. Life's so full it's possible to let the weeks go by without even knowing what happened to the time. Hope you have a fantastic Christmas! x

    PS Glad you wore the gorgeous shoes, but sorry they hurt so much!

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    1. Thank you Clare! Life does get so busy in the run up to Christmas. Hope you have a fantastic Christmas too in Cambers.x

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  6. I love just being sometimes - essential for a writer and I don't do it enough. I'm glad in a way I don't have Internet connection on my phone as it makes me take a break from it all when out. Enjoy your lovely Christmas not having to worry about the arrangements!

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    1. Thanks Rosemary. Yes, having internet on my phone has been useful, but it's more difficult to switch off from it all-unless I'm in a remote location with no signal which can be handy! Hope you have a great Christmas. x

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    2. Hi Anita, I always say I don't have a mobile phone because to all useful purposes, I don't. There is a machine I can switch on and call someone from if the car breaks down. So, in some respects, I have down time others don't. Some mobile use, and I'm not anti=technology, breeds anxiety. Anne Stenhouse

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    3. Hello Anne, thanks for visiting. Not using a mobile phone must give you a lot of time back! Hope you have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.x

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    4. Switching my phone off (or at least not being permanently welded to it) is something I need to get better at. I fritter away so much time constantly checking emails, groups, twitter, and just reading random news articles etc. It definitely does overfill my brain and exclude thinking time, and creativity, and reading fiction as well.

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    5. Me too Alison. Thanks for visiting and hope you have a great Christmas!x

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