#21 Wednesday Words: Pockets of Stillness

writer at typewriter — Graphic by Mohamed_hassan at Pixabay

Hi there, readers. Welcome back to Wednesday Words. This time, let’s delve into something called “pockets of stillness,” a.k.a. “daydreaming.” Although you may think the following quote about it is mainly directed to artists, I suspect its truth is applicable to all folks interested in creating something, anything.

Pockets of stillness

The quote is from Maria Popova, in Ten Years of Brain Pickings. Click that link. The quote is #4 in the list “10 Learnings from 10 Years of Brain Pickings.”

“Build pockets of stillness into your life. Meditate. Go for walks. Ride your bike going nowhere in particular. There is a creative purpose to daydreaming, even to boredom. The best ideas come to us when we stop actively trying to coax the muse into manifesting and let the fragments of experience float around our unconscious mind in order to click into new combinations. Without this essential stage of unconscious processing, the entire flow of the creative process is broken.

Most important, sleep. Besides being the greatest creative aphrodisiac, sleep also affects our every waking moment, dictates our social rhythm, and even mediates our negative moods. Be as religious and disciplined about your sleep as you are about your work. We tend to wear our ability to get by on little sleep as some sort of badge of honor that validates our work ethic. But what it really is is a profound failure of self-respect and of priorities. What could possibly be more important than your health and your sanity, from which all else springs?”

A song about daydreaming

I keep Maria Popova’s quote on my desk to remind me to chill out and take quiet breaks. It also reminds me of that old song, “What a Day for a Daydream” by Lovin Spoonful. Click here to listen: Lovin Spoonful – What A Day For A Daydream 1966.

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Thanks for reading!

Best wishes from your writer on the wing,

Charlene