March 2022 SOLC–Day 8
A huge thank you to Two Writing Teachers for all that they do to create an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write, learn, share and grow.
http://www.twowritingteachers.org
I finished a week of break not too long ago, and it was low-key and utterly refreshing. It’s been a tough, tough year and I haven’t always handled it well. Over that week, I started to feel human again.
At the end of the week, I tried to explain to my husband what made it feel so great. Why I felt so refreshed. Lighter.
“You know what it is,” I said after thinking about it for a while, “I got to putter. And even though it didn’t have to be, most of the time it was actually productive puttering.”
From day to day, there was no time crunch. I could get up when I wanted to (typically by 5 anyway) and do what I wanted to. I could run an errand, come home. And then, if I felt like it, go out again. I didn’t have to be efficient. I could be surprised by the time rather than being hyperaware of each minute passing.
I washed the car. I vacuumed the car. I read, I wrote. I cooked once in a while. I made a really nice lunch one day. I went for walks. I took pictures. I got the oil changed. I cleaned the fridge. I watched the birds. I read, I wrote. I took cat naps. I sat in the sun. I even went to work one day for about 7 hours. And that was okay, too. Because I had a choice.
I stepped out of the frenzied pace and oh, it really was nice.
Who knew puttering could feel like a luxury.
Nix the comfort zone 
Puttering feels like a luxury this year! I think we are on such a frantic pace every year, but since the pandemic, it has gotten increasingly worse. Glad you got a chance to putter!
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The pace really is brutal. It’s what I dislike most about teaching.
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Such an incredibly tough, tough year. I discovered early in the year that the only way I was going to make it was to take absolutely every “have to” off the table for myself outside of work hours. I love a day spent in leisurely puttering! it does feel luxurious not to be tied to the clock, not to be constantly bombarded by more asks and demands.
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I’ve cut back on a lot of “have to’s” as well. A week of puttering was a real treat. It does feel like a distant memory already though…sigh
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I am best at the three p’s (puttering, procrastinating, and pantsing)- especially when it is break!
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The three p’s–love it!
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I am just back from a break and feeling not as refreshed as I had hoped. Maybe I needed to putter more. I’m glad you were able to take advantage of the time to putter productively.
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I think that your being sick over break definitely impacted your ability to refresh! Hope you’re feeling all better now.
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[shh…don’t say this too loud…you described retirement in this post! It’s out there waiting for you…someday…until then, there’s summer…]
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Sigh. Someday. Maybe. Maybe not. But summer is gleaming on the horizon. The distant horizon, but the horizon nonetheless.
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Yes to puttering! We simply need more “down” time, time to work at our pace and follow our own priorities. Maybe we need a third day to the weekend devoted to puttering!
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I’m a big advocate for three day weekends!
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