Tuesday, January 09, 2007

The Rigour of Writing

So after a very busy day I finally have the opportunity to sit down and write. This is a habit I want to get into -- setting aside a period of time every Tuesday to write a blog entry and practice my craft, while offering something to the world to take in and think about.

But you know, the lives we lead sometimes get in the way of doing what we want to do. And the necessity to do the things we need to do occasionally leaves little time for anything else. As a writer it's often difficult to balance the emotional and spiritual need to write with the physical necessity to work, shop, wash clothes, throw out garbage, clean your room, etc. etc. of everyday life. Writing is like breathing for me -- it sustains and without it I could suffocate.

So I wanted to tell you about the times when I look to a blank pad of paper armed with nothing but a pen and my tortured, twisted, and oddly humourous experiences to guide me through the process. The poetry and prose that appears when I set down the stylo on the sheet or shut down the computer screen takes a teeny part of me every time and puts it on public display, the effects of which are no longer in my control once the first person attempts to grasp its meaning by reading what I've scribed for posterity.

There is little else in the world in terms of personal expression that I'd prefer to do than write my thoughts, dreams, fears and lessons learned so that they can be shared with others. I don't think my experiences are any more profound or special than anyone else's, but I do think that very few people can put it down into words the way I can, without fear of what others will say. Writing such emotionally charged work is the riskiest thing I do, and I continue to do it because I need to write to stay sane, to feel part of something, to contribute broadly to the human experiment -- to be.

So I have to exercise that need every once in a while. And so I have decided to do so on a weekly basis for my own therapeutic reasons and so that my mind can get a proper workout. Muscles unused tend to atrophy, and an atrophied brain is a tragedy.

I'll be back next week, with more energy and fire and passion to spit out for you.

PS My article from last week's City Journal is on the net now ... read it here!

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

New Years

As the second day of 2007 proceeds at the same pace as every day before it, now seems as good a time as any to reflect on time.

It's funny because time is partially a construct and partially a crutch. Though clearly we move from one moment to another, the creation of seconds, minutes and hours was made somewhat arbitrarily. The decision that there would be twenty-four hours in a day isn't based on anything except an observation that such a division of the day might work well with the movement of the sun across the horizon.

In our lives, we ebb and flow on the currents and eddies time provides for us. Getting to work requires keeping track of "when" we are to arrive. Some people ride buses, streetcars and subways to get to work, and have to consult schedules to know "when" the next vehicle will arrive. We keep track of birthdays and treat them as very special days in our lives. Important holidays and observances occur on an "annual" basis at times denoted by the calendar or by the motions of the moon.

If we are not mindful of time then we end up being "late", which can cause issues with people we were supposed to meet, or we could be denied the ability to do something we would have done if we were "on time".

But really, what is the true essence behind what we do with our time? We "invest" it in friends, places, tasks, jobs, children, spouses, events, etc. with the aim to "use" our time wisely. But at the beginning of the year we're offered a whole new chunk of time, a New Year, to decide how we can improve the way we relate to the time we have on our hands.

This year, take the time to reflect on time. Think about how you invest your time. Think about how you construct time in your own existence and determine for yourself in what ways your usage of time impairs your enjoyment of your life. Reflect on what it is you really want from life and how best to use your scarce minutes and days to get to where you want to go.

And have a wonderful year. It's ticking away, even as we speak. Time flies when you're having fun.