Writing it All Down

A quote, taken directly from my Robert Genn newsletter:

"The writing of notes, letters and journals is good for
creators. Writing is learning. Writing shares joy, delight,
triumph, struggle, disappointment and disaster. The free
exchange of ideas and processes helps us to think about what we
are doing and where we're going. This mutuality is part of our
self-education. In a lifetime of painting I've learned that
subjects taken for granted need often to be revisited and
re-examined. And like all of us, I have minor epiphanies and
esoteric insights. As if they were mosquitoes, I swat them down
into this magic box. Sometimes, as you've probably noticed, the
stuff gets a bit weird."

Seems to fit so well that I thought it necessary to include.

Years ago I tried doing morning pages after taking a workshop with Julia Cameron here in Cambridge. I filled huge notebooks with three to six pages every morning before I brushed my teeth, then ripped them out and stuck them in a Star Market grocery bag. I filled up two and was working on my third when life intervened and it was time to move and stop generating more detrius. One of the things I discovered was when something was written down, it no longer had to reside in my head. If I had an arguement with someone, I wrote about it and got all that 'what-I-shoulda-said' stuff out, if I was worried about a kid I would put lists in of all the things that could happen, if I had a full day ahead I would make 'to-do' lists. Once it was on paper I didn't have to keep it in my head and I started the day with a blank slate. It stilled the chatter, and was, and is, a valuable tool.

Now instead of morning pages, I do this blog. I put stuff in that I don't talk about very much, and know that I write things a little too personal some times- but by doing so, I get rid of it and can move on.

For example there is an individual on a list I belong to that has been a pain in my ass since she joined years ago. We have to hear all her ramblings about her off-topic subjects, but then if someone else dares to say something about an off-topic subject, she is #1 jumping in to shut them off. She pointedly ignores my messages except to jump on them, and no one ever corrects her because she is so quick to belittle. It's gotten so when I see her name I have a rise in blood pressure. How come I let her eat away at me this way, because it means she is winning! Well last night I had had enough and simply added her name to my spam list. What a revelation- I never have to see her self serving know-it-all posts again, and happily collect all her e-mails to ditch all at once ("delete forever"), or my filter dumps them automatically after 30 days. WHY didn't I do this before? Now I have a carefree day ahead and can read my mail in peace!