The best way to keep up with things is to do them regularly. I've started practising yoga at the age of fourteen, but my practice was sometimes smooth, other times rushed, many times forgotten. It took me time to find the style I like, figure out that the breathing and relaxing parts are as important as the physical postures and, mostly, that there is no way to be ready to meditate. I just have to try. And I need to build a practice that has all these elements in it. And even after that, it wasn't regular enough. I have travelled a lot, moved a few times, it wasn't simple.
But, since the end of 2017, I didn't skip a day. Sometimes, there is a full session, other times there is only a basic one. I do need to stretch and move often, my body doesn't feel right otherwise, but the pranayama and meditation (or, should we say, concentration practice) were so easy to skip and put away for the other day. Ever since I have made the promise to keep at it daily, it became so much a part of me, that skipping is impossible. I may not yet have achieved the right state of mind, but I at least know that I give it a try every day. Sometimes I meditate on a plane (that was obviously a long time ago), or wake up early while travelling with family and sit in a normal chair instead of cross-legged on my mat. But I do my meditation. And I do daily breathing exercises. Even when unwell, at least a quiet and calm focused full breaths are better to bring me into the present moment than simply putting it off for another day. Because the little daily effort is so much more than a perfect practice once a fortnight when everything falls into place and I have the right amount of time and the mood... Ironically, I was very worried about catching covid, because it could break my routine. It bothered me more than potentially dying of it...
This has taught me how important it is to build a habit and make an effort. And I managed to incorporate it into writing. It is nice to imagine that being a writer means sitting at the desk and madly creating for eight hours straight, lost in the story, forgetting the world. The truth is, creation is random and sometimes it is like that, but writing is also about editing, formatting, re-reading, and for these tasks 'little and often' is the key. When I edit a chapter a day, I give it more attention, don't rush, don't tired myself out. I feel that I have done more work than when I am madly trying to go through half of a manuscript because I am in a mood and nobody is disturbing me right now.
The 'little and often' method helped me to publish Grey Rainbow last year. I have tried to repeat the formula with Bodies, my next book waiting (even though it is the first book I have ever written!) and I was doing well until August. I have decided to give myself a break in August, because the summer holiday was different and I wanted to make sure that my daughter has some activities and little adventures. In a normal year, we would go camping, do some small trips, and have a main holiday, probably somewhere in Europe, or we would be visiting family abroad. This year, camping in England was our highlight (no complaints, it was truly great), because even Wales was fully booked, and being home meant making more effort in order to make the days off count. And, besides, I had to rescue our garden. It was in a state of neglect...
September came and I was meant to go back to editing and book preparations, but working on the cover meant that I was putting it off as much as I could... I am trying to become a graphic artist and I am not doing well.. If I could simply paint a cover on paper, then somehow scan it and use it, life would be so much simpler. But I had to think about pixels, dimensions, files... Anyway. Together with new school year, other things going on, and the garden still needing some work, September was by its end when I have realized that I have fallen of the editing horse big time. I've tried to make up quickly by printing out the manuscript - another way to get frustrated with technology...
Today, I am back on the horse. Finally, after almost two weeks of hoping to edit and failing, because now, when the garden is almost sorted and ready to go quiet in the winter months, we are working on the garage and utility room. It needs to be updated, reorganised, and repaired. So, yes, if I don't do it, nobody will and writing is counted as a hobby... But the more time I spend without doing something - writing, editing, anything, the harder it is to climb up on the imaginary horse and get going again. So, giving it an hour that I could just sit down and read the manuscript aloud, I feel great. Because I have reminded myself, that finding and hour is possible. I don't have to fall off the horse again.
Note: I've saved this draft on October 9th. I can announce that not only I am on the horse and moving forward, I am also prepping for NaNoWriMo. November will be mad, but I am ready!
