MINDFULNESS OFTEN MY ACE IN THE HOLE

Even when I am riding out a periodic self-imposed sabbatical from the written word on Wrights Lane, I spend a good seven or eight hours a day sitting at the computer in a windowless, eight-by-ten think tank closet of a room, surrounded for the most part by relics from past lives.

That's where I feel most comfortable. That's where creative juices flow best. That is also where I have spent countless sleepless nights bringing a piece of work to an acceptable conclusion.

When I am on a writing roll, I can spend up to 10 hours non-stop with my rear end cushioned in a computer chair that cost an arm and a leg, but was well worth the investment. Now, mind you, not all that time is spent transferring mental verbal ramblings to the computer monitor screen in readable pros fashion.

I take periodic breaks, some voluntary (i.e. research, just plain thinking, a coffee) and other involuntary rest stops. I am never that deep in concentration that I cannot nod off for a few rejuvenating winks of slumber when my eyes get heavy, which they are increasingly known to do.

Then too, on days when I find myself struggling with frustration,  self doubts and depressed feelings that run counter to creativity, I turn on the computer but leave it sitting idle while I close my eyes and let my mind wander. I really do not have to sit at the computer to do this exercise, I can do it from any room in the house -- the kitchen table and in my bedroom at any time of the day or night.

Just ask my daughter Debbie. I know that there have been times when she has seen me sitting at the computer or in an easy chair in my bedroom starring off into the darkness of space; and she thinks I have finally lost it and gone around the bend.

Don't get me wrong...I am not into meditation in any major way. As a born and bred daydreamer, it just sort of comes natural to me. Some 80 years ago when I was still afraid of the bogey man and unable to sleep at night, my dad taught me to think pleasant thoughts. Because it was his favorite go-to scene, he suggested I think of sitting with my feet dangling in a babbling brook on a nice warm summer's day and watching fish as they dart to and fro in the crystal-clear water. It worked!

For me now, it is like getting in touch with my true inner self, reframing challenges and recognizing the blessing hidden inside each one. Thinking pleasant thoughts and holding on to positivity. 

Creativity is not limited to ideas either. So, when I meditate or relax my mind for five or 10 minutes, I am in a full state of awareness. I tend to create situations that will allow me to move effortlessly through life, from one scenario to the other, with a relaxed state of mind. Generally I find that when I am enjoying this level of mindfulness, I get to access and grasp a sense of direction and purpose with ease and poise that is not always immediately available otherwise.

I have found escape through mindfulness and cat naps while sitting at my computer for extended periods to be a saving grace in my life, particularly when a story is pending and I need a clear, unencumbered mind to get it into printed form.

There have been troubled times too when a mindfulness break has saved me from completely losing my mind. I call on it daily in order to survive rough spots and challenges...and it costs me nothing.

News Flash: I did not fall asleep once and there was no need to meditate while producing this piece. I can do it when I put my mind to it!