What Soothes You?
I like to organize things. It’s almost an obsession. Of course, nothing useful. If something should be organized, it’s likely I don’t have the compulsion. Maybe it’s because I have such difficulty organizing my mind, that if I can find something my brain can organize, it’s very relaxing.
Like if I play campground poker, where all the chips are worth a dime no matter the color, I still sort my chips by color. (No one else does.) Always white first on the right, then red, then blue, then green. The countertop is all messy, but if one thing is out of place in the refrigerator, I’ll drop everything to put it back in order.
What else? Playing Bach. I just love putting all those notes in order, making them nice and neat.
And this is so odd it’s embarrassing: I like to clean up html code. I spent a few hours doing it the other night and just had the most enjoyable time. It was an absolute blast. I felt like I was knitting. I think this week I’ll write a series on how to format a Kindle book.
I’m not sure why I know how to do this, when I have yet to have a book that I can put on Kindle myself. *sigh* Hopefully soon.
What soothes you?
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Natasha Fondren is a writer traveling the U.S. in a camper with her four cats. She is currently enjoying the lizards and desert heat in Arizona.
I like to play games that occupy my mind. That’s why I get to addicted to Bejeweled. As I get older I seem to be incapable of just sitting quietly with my thoughts, so something that does it for me is a relief.
Me too, Melanie! We have different game tastes, but I feel the same.
I play hangman online. I tell myself it’s okay because it’s a brain exercise and not a time waster. lol And I look up the words I don’t get (usually medical).
I’ll be interested in your kindle directions.
Really? Where? I’d love to play hangman, Edie! I love that game!
I do that sort of thing too sometimes. It gives one a feeling of accomplishment for one thing. and yet it doesn’t usually overburden the mind.
I like it, Charles. The feeling of accomplishment is something I’ve been pursuing, lately. Writing a novel takes me forever.
I was kind of restless last night and so I spent a long time sorting and weeding our and arranging my ebook collection. Much more orderly now!
Oh nice, Eric! Have you tried calibre? Awesome program for that…
Not only do I do everything you do, I let my craziness spill into the public: I organize shelves in grocery stores, re-stack skewed piles of pamphlets on countertops, sort the hardware bins at Lowes… I just can’t leave a “mess.” And my rules for what constitutes a mess are broad and mutable.
You should see me at Borders, Avery! I’ve alphabetized whole sections! (Some Borders just don’t know how to alphabetize…)
Snowboarding.
I think I need more pics, Betsy!
Splitting wood, turning soil in the garden, walking. These are all things that on some level soothe me.
Nice, Paul! I love mindless tasks. My mind frizzles on writing alone.
I hate organizing anything but my closet. I love doing that. Black t shirts, white t shirts, blouses, work pants, jeans, dresses… Oops. I just had an orgasm.
LOLOL, Robin! I have noticed that you often organize your closet. And do I recall correctly that you organize a large number of bath lotions, potions, soaps, and the like, too?
Free writing calms me. I use it as a device to scribble out whatever bothers me at the moment.
Yay, Kath!
I need to do more of that.
Oh, and Sudoku. I just love it first thing in the morning.
OMG, I used to do Sudoku every night! What happened to that routine? It fell off when I moved. I definitely need to start that one up again!
I came home from a rehearsal once extremely frustrated and angry. I got out a huge pile of tomatoes, garlic, onions, and cilantro and made a giant vat of salsa. I felt 100% better! Chopping veggies soothes me.
Awwww! Wow, YUMMY! LOL, Darcy! That sounds like work to me, but ya’ know, if you’re ever frustrated, I’d be happy to lend you some veggies!