Showing posts with label play. Show all posts
Showing posts with label play. Show all posts

July 24, 2015

Summer Distractions by Tandy Balson




Life in the summer is full of distractions.  They are wonderful, like going to the playground with my grandchildren or learning to kayak.  

I find when I’m doing something away from my desk the inspirations for writing flow freely.    Even something as simple as a walk through the woods brings thoughts flitting through my mind like butterflies through the wild flowers.

We were spending a few days in a campground near a lake and I had ideas for stories coming at me constantly.  It was exciting and I looked forward to sitting in the sunshine and writing them down.  That’s when the distractions took over.  

The dragonfly that landed close to me captured all of my attention.  My pen was poised over the paper but the words that had flooded my mind only moments before seemed to float away on the breeze.  

Then I heard the joyful sound of children laughing and playing.  I looked up to see what was bringing such happiness.  Soon I was engrossed in playing with my grandchildren and the writing was abandoned.

Later when all was quiet I sat down ready to put my thoughts on paper.  My husband was cooking dinner and I had no responsibilities at that moment.  The timing should have been perfect to express my creativity.  Alas, it was not to be.  The sizzle and mouth-watering aromas coming from the barbeque had me thinking of my stomach instead of the words that had been in my mind only moments before.

I soon realized that I only needed to jot down a few thoughts in a journal.  They would be the prompts waiting for me to expand upon at a later time. 

Once I was back in my quiet writing area the distractions were gone and my earlier thoughts resurfaced. I was more prolific than ever before.

I am learning that I need to relax and go with the flow.  Being rigid with my writing schedule does not work for me when there are adventures that can only be experienced in this short summer season. 
 
This is the time to soak up the sun as I sit in my lounge chair and enjoy reading engaging books by several of our talented InScribe  authors.  The writing will be there for me when I come back inside.  For now, I’m going to enjoy the summer.

www.timewithtandy.com