In three days, Sean and I will be leaving the subzero temperatures of Buffalo to bake in the sun of Puerto Rico. This is our first, week-long vacation in a long time and I am so excited for the kind of unplugging that can only happen when you go away for awhile.
Like our trip in October of 2008, we’re staying in a sleepy, surfer town on the West Coast of the island called Rincon. We rent a house on the beach from our friend Sara’s family, and plan on doing a whole lot of nothing.
This weekend I went up to the attic and pulled out warm-weather clothing. I piled them up in the guest room along with books, magazines, and other random things I want to take along. I started thinking about the suitcase I’d bring and whether or not I wanted to check a bag, and suddenly I was faced with my most common travel dilemma: should I bring my laptop?
At first the answer seemed obvious: yes, I should.
My thoughts went like this: I’ll get so much writing done! I’ll be able to upload my photos and videos from the trip while I’m there! And then the questions started forming: But wait, do I want to spend my vacation uploading photos? And what if I find a wifi hotspot and end up with internet access? Don’t I want to unplug? The pro-laptop part of my brain rebelled: What if you get struck with inspiration so huge you have to write 1,000 words immediately? The anti-laptop response: Yeah, right.
And so on.
I’ll save you the rest of the fight with myself and cut to the chase: I’m leaving the laptop at home. I’m going to take a risk that I’ll be able to write what I need to write by hand (didn’t I do this for years?), that I’ll have plenty to do (or not do) in lieu of photo-editing, and that I can use the laptop all I want at home. What I don’t have at home is the quiet, creative, unplugged atmosphere I want out of this vacation. I don’t have a lot of extended time to think or play.
And then I had another idea: instead of my laptop, I’ll bring my watercolors. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a painter. Watercolors are a playful thing for me—a totally indulgent, nothing-but-pleasure activity. And that’s why they are such a triumph over the MacBook.
Above is a silly portrait I did of Sean after he became a lawyer. Like I said, I’m not a painter. Still, it’s a whimsical little picture and I am more than ready to be in the kind of head space in which I cultivate whimsy.
Jackie - Have a wonderful time, and say hello to Rincon for me
whitney - I ate some mofongo for you.
Magda - OMG!! I LOVE THAT WATERCOLOR PAINTING!!
I would, just, die if you made one of me.
xx
whitney - Hmmm, I think I’m game to try M. I am beginning to imagine it now.
Laura Mills - I’m so glad you’re doing this time out to consider being creative! You don’t know me at all but I’ve always loved the way you write things down since reading your livejournal all those years ago, including your poetry. I really think you’re the kind of person that has to be doing something creative. I don’t think being a librarian will allow you to explore that.
I can relate to your most recent blog post about finding it such hard work to motivate yourself. For me it is always my confidence issues that hold me back, my fears of failure, and not being ‘good enough’. I hope to work through these things to try and do more. Maybe the root cause of finding this hard is something deeper for you too.
Good luck with your syllabus & have fun with it