This spring break is not just a vacation. It’s a reprieve from an externally structured schedule. As a quintessential Virgo, I’ll always operate on a schedule, but for the next nine days, it’ll be of my own design. What a tease! Calling my own shots while pursuing happiness. Funny how there’s no problem getting out of bed in the morning when I can look forward to doing things that validate my existence on my own terms.
I find that my most creative breakthroughs occur around midnight. Another writer once told me that his moments of inspiration also came late at night. He chalked it up to his inner critic falling asleep sooner than he. I believe there’s a lot of merit to that. Physically, I can stretch deeper into a yoga posture when I relax. It stands to reason there’s a mental equivalent.
For the second month in a row, I borrowed part of my costume for today’s Austin Writers Roulette from friends. I also saw they have huge Afro wigs, which I called dibs on for the “Courage” roulette in July. Many creative thoughts for that July show flooded my mind last midnight. Naturally, I wrote it all down in the notebook that’s kept beside my bed.
More than ever, I’m making every day count. I attempt to do that anyway, but with so much of my time structured beyond my control, I cannot drop what I’m doing whenever the spirit moves me. For the next nine days I can. My long term goals will be to extend this freedom beyond scheduled vacations.
I’ve spent enough of my life on some institution’s schedule. Here’s the part where I figure out what I want in life…again.