in the end, it is all about time
time and time again
Hello dear reader!
Hope you are all having an amazing January, even if it doesn’t seem to end.
At the end of a year, I’m not one to make resolutions. But this time, I allowed the headwinds of the changing year to carry me into making new strides forward. I’ve been writing more — creating, nay, carving time out of my day and life. It’s not easy. I fail often, but more often than my failures, I succeed to sit and write. My novel, which is what I’m working on, is in progress and it’s full and steady steam ahead.
I’m also exercising again. Not as heavy as I could have gone, but easing my body into it, taking my old(er) age into account. When I look in the mirror, I see the semblances of the old young me, all that muscle memory still lingering below the surface.
And I’m hunting for a job. I’m on it! I’m on it like a crack addict on a street corner.
But beyond these outwardly life goals that I’m working toward, there is one thing I’m still unable to incorporate into my life. Something in my bones I know I need but unable to add back into my daily life.
What is it? Awe Walks.
Awe Walks are simple: You take a walk, not to a destination but for the purpose of taking a walk. There is no ulterior motive like losing weight or feeling fit. In an awe walk you meander through lanes and paths you may or may not have passed before and awe at the world. You stop when you need to, you admire the planet, you remember the incredibleness that is your human body, living breathing, all nerves and arteries and muscles and bone, moving in conjunction atop a space rock, that hurtles through a vacuum of space, a space rock that’s created a shield of air we call the atmosphere that cycles through shades of blue and grey and on those occasional moments from red to pink under which thrive other living beings of different shapes and sizes and colours and lives. Awe walks are just like ordinary walks but also not.
You could say reading a book is like taking an awe walk and you wouldn’t be wrong. I recently read Orbital by Samatha Harvey and that is an awe walk like no other. But while I am making more time to read and reading way more, I miss the physicality of an awe walk, of the wander and wonder.
In one of the many newsletters by Toby Litt in December, he shared a list of the things you need to write. The top three are:
1. Time
2. More time
3. Even more time
I manage 1 and 3 — those are required for the actual, physical act of writing and editing. But number 2, that’s the tricky one.
More Time to do stuff which doesn’t seem to be writing but which, in the end, turns out to have been writing all along. To the non-writer, this may appear to be sitting in a cafe people-watching or going for a walk around a shopping centre, having a nice long catnap, or listening very closely to a piece of music — but, actually, it is when the writing bit of the brain does its hardest work. Believe me.
— Toby Litt
For me, More Time used to be an awe walk. It could be as simple as wandering through aisles and aisles of the grocery store, wondering the uses and misuses of the various products on display, wondering who buys such things and what would be their use case, what kind of person they would be and what is their story, and suddenly stumble upon a story of an individual who is quite different from you but you share the similarity of frequenting the same grocery store.
Finding More Time than actually living and actually writing is tricky and for the most part, I’ve fought tooth and claw to carve out time to actually get the words down and then some more to get them right. Yet, it’s never enough.
But I’m sneaky. I find More Time when I take extra long bus rides home, take the longer path to my destination, slow down my walk so I don’t match the pace of Londoners going about their day. I slow down, slow down even further than I normally go about my day. It’s not easy, especially when nothing productive comes from it. Yet, the most productive I’ve been are days right after these stolen bubbles of time, unscheduled and open to all the possibilities that they may contain.
My aim, beyond those outwardly goals I’ve set for myself, is to reincorporate awe walks into my life in my quest for More Time. I hope I succeed.
Akshay’s Updates
- My essay On Time is published in Tamarind Literary Magazine Issue 7. And IT’S HERE!
It’s one thing to know that your piece is published and I’ve seen many of my pieces appear on online and on screens. But to see it on paper like this — it’s a different joy. I reread the essay sometime this month and — I’m not even bragging — I thought it was such a great read. The other essays and stories in there are beautiful as well. Maybe you should give it a shot? If you’re in the UK, you can get a physical copy or if you’re outside, get an e-copy. See here: https://tamarindlit.co.uk
- I’m becoming a regular at London’s Moth Story Slams. I’m really hoping to win one of these this year while I make in roads with other true storytelling organisations.
Unfortunately, in February I won’t be at The Moth Story Slam in London but I MAY be telling a story in Bombay. Keep an eye out! 😉
Akshay’s Recommendations
- Orbital by Samatha Harvey: Such a good book. A meditation on our planet, our lives and what it all means from point of view of scientists hanging out in the space station, orbiting the earth. I’m so so so glad such a book exists. There is a reason it won the Booker prize.
- Arcane on Netflix: This is the most expensive animation TV show ever produced and for good reason. The first season of this show remains the best bit of animation I’ve ever seen and season 2 comes very close taking over that top spot. Eye candy with a great story and amazing characters. Must watch!
Until next month,
Cherish all,
Akshay
You’re reading Missives from an Island a newsletter by Akshay Gajria, a prize-wining writer, storyteller and writing coach. This newsletter is delivered to your inbox on the 30th of every month. You can also find Akshay on Threads, Instagram, and Medium. If you enjoyed reading, consider tipping him by buying a cup of tea (or three) here or buying his ebook. You can discover his work at akshaygajria.com
