“My idea of a good night has always been having a lovely meal
and a proper conversation.” Kirsty Gallacher
I am half way through the third (fourth?) week of the fall
semester. I think I am finally beginning to establish a rhythm to
school, work, homework, teaching, creating and self care. It is so
very easy when I become busy to neglect the last item from this list.
It is often easier to eat a bowl of popcorn for dinner than a
balanced meal or to push myself to stay up later than usual to finish
some project or homework. I've done rather well with making sure so
far I get enough sleep and eat right. However there is still one
area that I am struggling with.
In the midst of those days filled with work, school and creative projects a feeling of isolation can slowly creep up on me. . Life
becomes one long to do list,checking one item off and moving on to
the next. I can spend an entire day holed up in my apartment often
within the confines of my room working towards deadline after
deadline.
Of course many of the things I do involve human contact. Attending
school and creative collaboration definitely require interaction with
other people. However, it is a very different thing to spend two
hours with someone working on choreography or listening to a lecture
and spending two hours in a conversation with no agenda.
With all of the homework, rehearsing,
and work I am too distracted to notice until one day I have a moment
to breathe. At first I will putter around the apartment, taking care
of minor housekeeping tasks that I've neglected. I'll sort my socks,
alphabetize my books, update my Netflix queue...I walk a circuit of
my home, straightening misaligned coffee table books and picking lint
off the futon cover. I ask Miss Pickles if she'd like to go grab a
cup of coffee and a moment later I remember that she is a cat, has no
thumbs and no interest in coffee.
This semester I'm making an effort to not let disconnection become
a habit. I have plenty of time to myself, which like most of us I
need a significant amount of, but I also need an equal amount of time where where I can, however briefly, set aside
the to do list and step out of the role of student, or teacher, or
director to spend time with those I love.
So anyone up for coffee sometime in November?
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