I became a lot better at slowing down and being present after having kids. Mostly as a survival technique—a toddler-paced walk can feel excruciating if you can’t learn to slow down and take in your surroundings. That doesn’t mean I’m always that way, I hide in my phone or have hamster wheel thoughts too, but at least when I’m outside or have access to a window, I can tap into a few moments of calm and ease. This helps revive me for creative practice and gives space for creative thoughts to bloom.
That's a great question made me look at my writing in a different way. I am a caregiver to my adult daughter who had a stroke after brain surgery. She pretty much needs 24/7 care, but in unpredictable ways. She is impulsive, but charming. Loves people and theatre, but can no longer be in large spaces with lots going on (sensory overload that triggers aggression). I think my caregiving role & having to be hypervigilant to sensory issues (light, sound, visual busyness) has made me more observant around the sensory elements, and that comes out in my writing...how I play with finding the right descriptions and words and tend towards lyricism, which is better able to capture all the elements that might go into, for example, a breeze or a drop of rain.
I became a lot better at slowing down and being present after having kids. Mostly as a survival technique—a toddler-paced walk can feel excruciating if you can’t learn to slow down and take in your surroundings. That doesn’t mean I’m always that way, I hide in my phone or have hamster wheel thoughts too, but at least when I’m outside or have access to a window, I can tap into a few moments of calm and ease. This helps revive me for creative practice and gives space for creative thoughts to bloom.
That's a great question made me look at my writing in a different way. I am a caregiver to my adult daughter who had a stroke after brain surgery. She pretty much needs 24/7 care, but in unpredictable ways. She is impulsive, but charming. Loves people and theatre, but can no longer be in large spaces with lots going on (sensory overload that triggers aggression). I think my caregiving role & having to be hypervigilant to sensory issues (light, sound, visual busyness) has made me more observant around the sensory elements, and that comes out in my writing...how I play with finding the right descriptions and words and tend towards lyricism, which is better able to capture all the elements that might go into, for example, a breeze or a drop of rain.
Thanks for that!
Nancy Huggett, Canada