The physical and the intellectual
It’s not just clothes that need airing
We are all lugging along something or the other. Groceries, laundry or a whole paragraph of words. It can be hard doing all of that all the time. To be up on the feet or laying the soles flat at study can get dull. I feel we all need a little lift, to sail, to roll, to climb, or swing in that old hammock. Of all of those I prefer rolling most. Whatever you do, when you get the chance, walk with a little pause. In a sense, it’s like airing ourselves. Our thoughts, and worries, all that indoor stuff. It’s like opening a window and bringing the outdoor in. It’s saying I’m a little tired of all the writing so I’m going to step away.
Writing is an intellectual task and though intellectual tasks are sometimes misunderstood as being sedentary, writing can be that if we let it. After all, writing does not require the musculoskeletal motion associated with physical exercise. It, however, can be quite taxing as it does require energy and concentration and recollection that come from observations and experiences.
Writing is a proof of living. And living is not just sitting down and waving a pen like a wand. Writing is not magic.
However, writing doesn’t have to be brooding. I feel that walking is very important to the process of writing. If awaking happy hormones and improving blood circulation wasn’t enough, some of the best writers in the world celebrated walking and exercise. These days we don’t hear much of it, but writers of old loved walking. They appreciated it on its own terms, not just as a way to balance the interior world. However, the unspoken part is that surrounding ourselves in the colours of the natural landscape, breathing the pure air of trees, and loosening our feet along a road can also loosen thoughts. Writing is not just recording, but thinking about what we are writing. Changing the scenery, being away from the desk is not idling though idling is often under-appreciated, but it is part of the process of a healthy life.
When there’s no deadline, and especially when working over a larger project, pampering your hands and feet can be a form of self-care.
Whether it’s lacing up with those skates found in the shed, or getting down to do a bit of weeding in the veggie patch, or hopping on the bicycle for a little spin around the suburb, those moments of supposed physical endeavour are really moments of freedom.
