Everyone must have something they enjoy doing to relax. I listen to stories (which I consider my reading time) and draw. I use a 9th gen iPad, 1st gen Apple Pencil and Procreate. And boy, oh boy, is this a time sucker!! Hours can pass as I doodle away, and I LOVE it! I have no training (except what I’ve seen on Youtube and experimented with) so my art is mundane, but I do believe in practicing and that no creative pursuit is a waste of time.
I need to keep my hands busy, so if I’m not typing, then I’m making something. I’ve experimented with many forms of crafting, from sewing, knitting and crochet, to paper crafts, soap and cosmetic making, and hand-made papers. The list goes on and on. All of them were satisfying even if the end products were not useable!
I enjoy baking, but not cooking. I think it’s the necessity of a healthy meal that takes the fun out. Or, maybe it’s my addiction to sugar! Who cares! Baked goods are fun to create and even better to eat 🙂
Another form of procrastination is playing with my dog. His name is Niblet and he’s currently 6 years old. He’s a rescue who didn’t have the usual family socialization when he was born, so he has some issues – okay…many issues – but the dog behaviorist has been a lifesaver. From the day he was benched at puppy school, she’s been a part of our lives and has become a friend along the way. I’ve discovered the value of treats for my dog and since he’s a voracious eater, food is always a distraction. Yay for liver bread! This means I can distract him from noticing things I know will agitate him.
Of course work can be classed as a form of procrastination, but I need to eat and my author career doesn’t bring in enough money for me to live. But, and this is a big but, I often use the excuse of work to keep me from writing. What do I do to earn money, you might ask? I help other authors by proofreading their books, formatting their manuscripts and uploading the finished product to Amazon. This work keeps a roof over my head and food in my tummy (and in Niblet’s tummy!)
For those of you with an eagle eye, you may have noticed that nothing’s been said about my own socialization. Since the pandemic, my life has become narrow. Where I used to go out at least once a week, most often much more than that, now I use a delivery service to have my groceries delivered to my home and meet up with friends on Zoom or other video apps. It’s done wonders for my petrol bill, but not so much for my conversational skills. Perhaps this will change now most countries have lifted most, if not all, restrictions related to COVID-19.
And, in a nutshell, that’s how I spend my days!
