I’ve started several recent blogs with “when I was a kid…” These pandemic times cause many of us to turn inward - childhood memories surface as we consider thoughts around simpler times. Today, I’m remembering the first time I perched atop a dairy cow being milked. I was about seven years old, and a family friend picked me up and plopped me down on top of her. I remember how broad of beam she was and how it didn’t bother her one bit that some kid was thrilled to be king of the world on top of her. There are other cow and steer (look up the difference :-) stories, of course. Riding horses with my friends and outmaneuvering some unhappy Angus steers. Waiting patiently on a New Mexico dirt road, empty, except for one large Longhorn steer right in the middle of it. But I’ll save those stories for another time.
Dairy cows have their own personalities as well as a predictable routine. They usually live life in three eight-hour segments: eat, chew their cud (re-chew everything), sleep. Milked the same time every day, cows produce around eight gallons of milk each time. They stand up and lay down about 14 times a day. The milk they produce goes towards any number of delicious products. In the credits below, I’ve noted a wonderful local dairy that’s the gathering spot of many folks just about any day - regardless of season (think ice cream or hot chocolate).
For my “how does this tie into writing” thoughts - let’s focus on the “predictable routine” part. I’ve mentioned before that many writers do their best writing in the pre-dawn hours. Others are night owls. Regardless, find a time that you are at your creative best and stick to it. Fit writing into your day as if your creative life depends on it - because it does. There’s something about a routine that helps settle daily angst - it’s as if the body and spirit know, “Ok, now we get to focus on creating something.” That “something” could be a few words, a chapter, or a storyboard. But that time is for you, your moment to write or paint, to create. Cherish that time. You’re worth it!
Photo credit: (Screenroad on Unsplash)
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