It is a typical weekday in the office.
Deadlines abound, customer queries and requests are aplenty and lots of PC time ensues.
Earlier this year I hit a personal jackpot by proposing and obtaining approval of scaling back my day job hours to a four day week. Eyebrows were raised by several of my peers when they learned of this achievement; heads started to shake at the terms, which included the relative pay cut. Are you mad, some asked while others harped on the fact of Thursdays being my Fridays, how lucky I am and so on.
While I most certainly count myself as extremely fortunate, I had been planning this move for quite some time. Good things come to those who wait and when the timing felt right, I set forth my proposal, which touched on in a blog post around that time.
Having just finished Julia Cameron's excellent The Artist's Way, several factors key to improved creativity reminded me of my motivations for toning down by mainstream career in favour of lifestyle. Sure, I am motivated to forge my own industry and path in the form of sports therapy and literature, but the main thing to remember is that these occupations are also deep passions. The fact that they also provide opportunities to indulge in varying degrees of escapism is perhaps not coincidental.
This past weekend saw my accompanying three friends as their support driver in an Eastern Cape endurance event. A large portion of the three days away saw time alone, travelling between destinations in a province that is somewhat removed from the more mainstream of South African centres.
After a long winter free of travel, I was excited to get the opportunity to return to an event and region that I've not visited for a few years now. Small towns and rural communities abound, whether in the Karoo or on the coast. Life is slower in those centres and one can feel in a time warp, which is certainly not a bad thing.
While these factors all lend themselves to activities I enjoy, the bigger picture suggests that indulging in such adventures is key to my personality. In her writing, Cameron talks of a weekly "Artist Date", a time dedicated to an activity that a person holds dear, performed alone. It be anything; visiting the cinema, going to museum, whatever. The point is that joy of the activity is indulged in on a weekly basis as a sort of reward to oneself, the intention being to arose creative fire and inspiration whatever the occupation. This trip away reminded me of my love of shoestring travel, with a fair amount of adventure and/or purpose thrown in for good measure.
Time on the road gives one the chance to think and scheme. Talking to others adds the fuel to ideas and future possibilities. Being in the company of several "go-getter" folks who know how to live life certainly helps with one's own creative desire. It is also serves to remind one of the simple things that important.
Two essential things that balance out my day are as follows:
- Daily writing.
- Daily running, preferably first thing in the morning.
A daily "Artist Date" of sorts, and truly yin and yang.
Running along the beach in Jeffrey's Bay early this past Sunday morning reinforced this ideal. After almost a week of feeling rather flat physically, the joy of such a simple activity in a different environment and without shoes overcame any sluggishness. I felt fresh and light, like I could run all day. The sight of local "grommets" shaking of the early grog in the glassy surf was a sight to behold. A long day of driving home lay ahead, but it didn't matter. A short workout in nature certainly set me up for the day ahead, as it always seems to do.
It is mid-week now and life is good. A timely break from the perils of routine and stagnation goes a long way in the greater scheme of things. Bring on the next adventure.
