Would you like to see what I do during the day as a break from writing? You can’t sit and write all day, as I’m sure you other writers out there know. Your brain fuzzes up and you simply must do something REAL for awhile. When I need to be active, I go out in the backyard and package up firewood.
It feels great to be outside, breathing the fresh air and listening to the birds. I’ve also learned how to chop the firewood. My son does most of the chopping, of course, because he’s young and strong. I’m small boned and I weigh less than one-hundred pounds; however, when I can wield an axe and actually get a log to fly apart into two pieces, I feel like Paul Bunyan!
I split maybe five logs per morning and even that little amount does make the pile grow, day by day. Like bundling firewood, I package up maybe three bundles a day, but if I do this every day, pretty soon I’ve got piles of the stuff.
And now—to offer a word of encouragement to anyone who needs it (don’t we all)—if I can chop and bundle firewood, maybe you can do something that you’ve been wanting to do but aren’t sure you can, for whatever reason. Begin by picking at it, just one piece at a time, or one minute at a time. It will be positive nourishment for your mind and soul and body, and hey, it might even stimulate your writing. I wish you success!
Carolyn Kay Hanson 