Go Back to the Source (Column)
As writers and humans, we need to replenish. Go back to the well - often
This week, I did something I almost never do.
Nothing.
I. Did. Nothing.
Like many people (most likely you, dear reader) hyperactivity serves as my default setting. I run, not walk. I like to see how much I can fit in before breakfast. I have twenty books on my nightstand that I intend to read as soon as possible.
That’s the phrase that encapsulates so much of our collective lives: as soon as possible. We want it all, done and dusted, as soon as possible.
Life often gets in the way. A family member gets sick. We trip and fall. Some emergency happens. Days turn into weeks where it’s almost impossible to single out any particular activity or event that occurred in a lengthy period of time.
This week, I visited the village of Elora, about an hour’s drive west of my home in Toronto. I’ve loved Elora since I was a kid. I first ventured there on a school trip to visit the gorge.
Something about the 22-metre (72-feet) high cliffs overlooking the rushing river below captured my imagination as a child. I was in awe to be walking among a 12,000-year-old slash in the earth, caused by melting ice. Something about it made me want to keep coming back and while I don’t visit frequently, I do in my mind. I’ve had the gorge in my thoughts through much of my writing. And I know I’m not the only one inspired by the gorge. Both the 2017 and 2019 film adaptations of Stephen King’s It were filmed there.
I had many plans for the three days I spent in Elora, but in the end, I did the (un)thinkable. Nothing. I walked around the gorge. I touched the stones. I touched the trees. I listened to the water. I listened to the birds. I engaged in a staring contest with a tiny squirrel in an enormous tree. I peeked in crevices and caves cut into the rock. And I breathed. It was lovely and it made me ridiculously happy. I had perma-smile. I had almost forgot what that felt like.
When I stopped chastising myself for doing (as stated above) nothing, I realized I was doing something. Reconnecting with nature. Reconnecting with the source of creativity. Remembering things I love. Happiness, I often tell my kids, is not a default setting for many people. It’s a learned trait. If I’ve learned anything this week, it’s that if you know the source of your happiness, drink from that well. And drink from it often.
Yours in reading and writing,
Leah Eichler
What I Am Reading:
I only have one thing on the list for this week. As I’ve said, I’ve done nothing. But I love this piece since it’s the vibe I was going for this week. Find the Place You Love. Then Move There - The Atlantic. We all have a fantasy about where we would be most happy. Maybe it’s time to lean into that instinct.
So true. Thanks for the reminder. Getting out in nature now that the season has opened up makes so much sense. Is it wrong for me to put in on my "to do" list? #1: Do nothing. In Nature. I like it.
It was lovely and it made me ridiculously happy. I had perma-smile. I had almost forgot what that felt like.... I love it...