I brought a few projects with me to NY this weekend and planned to work on them while my husband was at work, but I had one of those days where I just couldn’t settle into either art or writing. “Go shopping. Go shopping.” kept niggling in the back of my mind. I can’t waste time going shopping – I have things I need to sit here and do. It seemed the more I sat and tried to do those things, the more anxious I became and the less I could do. Maybe shopping for totally irrelevant things would get me out of my head. In our NY town a new Kohl’s just opened. I had never shopped in that store before and today seemed like the day to check it out. I spent almost two hours in the store browsing, trying things on, picking through jewelry, etc. It felt good to not think – just to pay attention to the object in my hand at the moment. Along with the bargains, I picked up some peace of mind.
Did you know that only 5% of our thoughts are conscious and 95% are subconscious? Sometimes that 5% works way too hard and burns itself out and the subconscious must be allowed to take over. By not thinking, and just focusing on that gorgeous yellow top in my hand and trying match a piece of jewelry to it, my subconscious was free to do it’s thing. When I arrived back home I put away my treasures and sat down with my paints. All of a sudden I had new ideas and new solutions to the problems I faced in the morning.
When something gets hard or frustrating, instead of pushing through it, put it down and give your conscious mind a break. It’s not a waste of time. It’s valuable time well-spent.
And so, as another day goes by, it’s time to once again free my subconscious to do its thing while I sleep, and….I have written.
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