Friday, March 5, 2010

In the Quiet of Morning

I realized this morning that I am a little off-kilter. Well, maybe a lot. The realization has been sitting there, staring me in the face. Guess I've been too 'busy' to let it in.

I finally tore myself away from the computer this morning and sat on the steps in the sun. It's still chilly here in North Georgia, 31 degrees when I went out. I put on my Koolaburras, grabbed a throw to wrap around my legs and donned my uberheavy Brian Head sweatshirt. I took my breakfast with me, a handful of raw walnuts, a plum and the last inch of green tea in my cup.

This is what has been missing in my life. Sitting. Being quiet. First thing. To start my day. This is what feeds me.

Lately, I seem to get out of bed, make my tea, then sit down at the computer. I first check Intellicast for the weather. Then off to Facebook, reading messages and comments,perusing friend updates. Since my friends are on both coasts, and cover three time zones, this takes awhile. I read a few articles, watch a video or two, pick up news, giggles and inspiration along the way. I comment, when so moved.

Eventually, I make my way to email, which is pretty sparse these days. I haven't seen patients in almost three months, so nothing from them. And, oh, how I miss those emails from my sweetheart. Guess those things fall by the wayside when you live together.

A week ago I added Twitter. And now, post-Twitter, there have been days I've been sucked in to the computer from early morning until mid-afternoon.

No wonder I'm off kilter! My morning ritual has gone bye-bye. There has been no sitting in silence savoring my tea, no listening to my muse. No journaling. No introspection. No inner thought food.

Yes, I've been learning Twitter, which is intimidating and mysterious. I'm now aware that it is a great tool for getting my writing seen; by magazines, news services, agents, other writers, and publishers, just to name a few. I get to follow William Shatner, who signs his tweets 'Bill'. I've made many contacts, including Deep South Magazine and Hello North Georgia, and a few of my blogposts were tweeted by WNEG.

Yesterday, after facebook and twitter and emails, I spent the afternoon painting my new office, slathering great gobs of dark, olive green paint over yuckey comet green walls. Alone for four hours, in that quiet old building, I had plenty of time to think. But there was too much noise in my head, all those twitters, and messages and that weird dream that needed analyzing. Turns out that dream just pointed me back to this same thing:

After 19 years of quiet morning time, I need it as much as I need food. It feeds my spirit. This is the time when I replenish. Am inspired. Commune with nature. Talk to God. This is where I find my center and anchor in. This is the place from whence miracles spring. My morning quiet time.

In the noisy clamoring of cyberspace, I'd forgotten. I used to tell folks that I get up by 7, but I don't do people until 10. I've been breaking my own rule. Just because they're in the computer and not standing in front of me, they're still people.

Oh. Yeah.

BTW, I miss you...

7 comments:

Jerry said...

Your peaceful mornings seem idyllic...I wish I were away from the clamoring city so I could enjoy such things. Make a vow to divorce yourself from the computer just for a while each morning. If nothing else you can lament the fate of those poor idiots that immediately sign on upon wakening.

Enjoyed this.

Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré said...

Thanks, Jerry. For the last two days I've managed to sit quietly. Though yesterday's was brief (had to be out of the house by 7:30), on the way home I was rewarded by the car fairy (where I get more quiet time) with an idea for a short story...which quickly fleshed itself out to a novel! Yay! Thanks for dropping in, I'll be looking in on you, too.

Murr Brewster said...

Thanks for popping in to my blog. I love your post: that computer is both an attraction and a subtraction. They say it takes a couple weeks to ingrain a habit, so maybe the tea-outdoors will have to be deliberate for a while, but wow--do you think it got you a novel that fast? I'm working on my first, having had only one idea (ever), but I'm hooked.

Larry Kollar said...

"Thanks" to the little magic box that is the iPhone, I'm checking Twitter before I get out of bed most mornings! But I do get plenty of quiet time in the car on my commute.

One of the things I liked about the old place was that we had a door in our bedroom going to the deck out back; if it was at least 50 degrees outside I'd take my coffee out there in the morning. We have a screened in porch here, but I've never warmed to it as a morning coffee place… probably because it's closed in. Maybe I should take it out front & leave the computer alone in the morning. Problem with that is, I'd be checking it at work instead of working. What to do…

Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré said...

Murr,

The novel has been brewing for many a year. But like so many things in my life lately, it seems the stars or something(s) have recently clicked in to place. The title came first, one word. Then another. And those from just driving around my new world in NoGA.

Saturday, again driving, the last word in the title fell in to place and from there the novel was born.

I wrote most of two chapters this afternoon and what a blast!

So, no, that one sitting by itself didn't do it. But maybe honoring my need and making the commitment did.

BTW, thank YOU for stopping by, please come again.

Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré said...

Welcome home, FAR! And welcome back. Five minutes. Just give yourself five extra minutes in the morning. Sit in your favorite (quiet) chair with your coffee. Or on the back steps. Somewhere. Anywhere. Without your iPod. I promise you'll be glad you did.

Alex Ong said...

If I don't do quiet time in the morning for myself, I've made the commitment to at least have it completely quiet when I work on my WIP.

Alex
Breakfast Every Hour

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