Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Living in "the Zone"

Finding time to write is never easy.  I have recently returned to the workplace (part-time) and although the work is stimulating and rewarding, it does interfere with my writing. I sympathize with those who are holding down a full-time job, supporting a family and still trying to find time to write.  My hat goes off to you!

Writers are a strange breed.  It's sometimes easier for them to retreat into the fantasy worlds of their own creation and miss what's happening in the world they actually live in.  Sometimes I find myself so lost in thought that I am oblivious to conversations happening all around me   Other times I find myself looking at life from a distance as an observer instead of immersing myself in the activity of living the moment.  I don't like to be disturbed when I'm "in the zone". 

But I've matured...a nice way of saying I've gotten older...and priorities change. I'm spending more time with my grandchildren and I am amazed at how quickly they change.  I don't remember my own children changing so fast.  How did I miss those moments?  What else have I missed?

I wish life would give us "do-overs".  There are a few things I would do differently. For starters, I wouldn't take life so seriously.  I would laugh more and not dwell so long on past hurts. I would be more patient and understand that both children and adults go through phases in their lives when they need support, guidance and understanding and that the best course of action is not to judge, but to listen. However, to really listen one must be present in the situation...not just physically, but emotionally.  And that means leaving the "zone" and reentering the real world.  The fantasy world will always be there, but time in the real world is fleeting.  I don't want to miss another minute of it.