One centimeter to the left.
“Anyone can do any amount of work,
provided it isn’t the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment.”
Robert Benchley
One centimeter to the left, Jacinta thinks to herself as she fiddles with a vase bursting with Birds of Paradise on her island counter. Never mind that she’s mid-decision on which flight she should book to New York, a trip she would rather skip entirely.
Because she doesn’t want to think about it, she instead rearranges her kitchen.
I get it. Artfully and often I turn my attention from…
Reserving a hotel for an upcoming getaway (I’m leaving on Saturday)
Starting an article (Deadline: Wednesday)
Publishing a book (That I’ve been tinkering with for ten years. It’s finally edited. Want to pre-order? Let me know!)
Buying toilet paper (Thankfully I’m always stocked with either TP or paper towels. Rarely at the same time.)
Doing my taxes (except THIS year I started early. Called a guy on Feb 24. Discussed the situation, said he would send me what I needed to move forward. Haven’t received a damn thing from him.)
And finally…
Write a Sunday night love letter (Which is why you’re getting this on a Monday.)
In between words, I’ve completed a litany of rather unnecessary tasks. Went to the refrigerator on 5 separate occasions to eat jackfruit. Perused the cinema listings to see a movie later. Arranged flowers. Fixed the rug. Checked Instagram. Responded to some text messages. Investigated the year that king and queen sized mattresses were introduced (1940s but became popular in the 1950s). Signed up for pilates.
Why?
Writing these love letters requires a little digging and frankly, I’m not always keen to do it. Digging means I have to sit, be quiet, and be (oh-my-god-does-this-even-exist-anymore) bored.
Doing so would render me a total maniac in today’s society.
YET. It’s so damn important.
All the good things…
Creativity
Intuition
Connection
Feelings
Solutions
…are uncovered in quietude.
It sucks. It obliges one to sit without fidgeting, without checking the phone, without getting up to do laundry. It commands one to ignore those agonizing bursts of energy and that belly-gripping sensation of absolutely needing to do XYZ.
You could explode!!
But you won’t.
Those waves of intensity will come and go. Just sit.
The constricting urgency to put the dishes away will subside. Just sit.
The clenching in your chest when you think of your emails, messages, IG likes will soften. Just sit.
The things you need to work through, like the reasons you’re dreading New York or delaying a project, will surface. Just sit.
Maybe you’ll have a revelation and maybe you won’t. You’ll gain something really valuable though. The knowledge that you aren’t doomed to be a slave to distraction. You’re a completely whole individual without moving the vase one centimeter to the left.
It’s not meditation, but it’s not far off either. Find minutes in your day to practice. When you’re waiting for light to change, wait. When a commercial comes on, watch it. When you’re on the train, look out the window. When the feelings start to rise, let them.
Sit quietly, be bored, and see what comes up.
And when you’re done, pre-order my book so when you do choose distraction, at least you’ll be laughing.
With love,
Bethany
