By the time I finished perusing and was ready to get into the check-out line, I saw the line was long. Reeeeeally long. The line had formed a huge internal U, along three sides of the store.
As we waited, people got to know each other. We chatted. A woman and her (probably) four-year old daughter was right behind me. Behind her was a woman my age (old as dirt). The three of us talked as we moved forward a foot or two at a time. We waited in line for an hour before we got to the cashier.
Then it hit me: hundreds of people came for a decrease of 50%. What about an increase of 50%? When would that be a welcome thing?
50% of the time I usually spend on writing every day--on a day when I don't think I have the time to write--could that be a good thing? There were a couple of days this week when I was too busy to write (or so I thought). Normally I spend at least an hour a day writing, so on those busy days, I squeezed in thirty minutes. 50% is better than 0%, right?
So how about you? How do you play the percentage game? And on another related note, do you shop at thrift stores? If so, what have been some of your favorite finds?
And try it. On a day when you aren't planning on writing, try writing for just 15 minutes, or a half hour... and see how far you can get in that short time frame.
Oh yeah, we have Savers here, too. I love 50% off sales! I shop at Goodwill because they have fair and set prices: $3.50 per shirt. Sometimes they have colored barb discounts. I always find something there. In fact I frequent three of them.
ReplyDeleteLinda--You and I--together in a thrift store--would be dangerous. ;) Add Val to the mix and it would be combustible.
DeleteWhen I read this earlier today, all I could think of was, "WHY ARE YOU KEEPING THIS FROM HICK?" Imagine the gift(s) he might have bought me!!! They could make that big ol' 50-cent coffee mug look like...well...um...like somebody else's cast-off junk!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was WORKING, I was quite productive at stealing five or ten minutes here and there, while waiting for a meeting to start, or waiting for my students to finish something, or between the lunch bell and going to the cafeteria. Even if it was just making notes for later polishing, I found myself to be surprisingly creative in those stolen moments.
Now that I'm retired, I pretty much just waste all day, every day.
Val--I sent you a 19-page email. Read it. Follow the instructions carefully, or you will live to regret it (and your bank account will be cleaned out, thanks to the Good Feet Store).
DeleteI used to work at a St. Vincent dePaul thrift store and I always went home with a couple of things. Purses, a dress, jackets, lots and lots of books. And before you think that workers get freebies, that's not the case! (I did get first pick, though, and that was sweet!)
ReplyDeleteSo what was the question? Oh, yeah. Writing. I probably don't put in the same long hours as I did just a few years ago. Partly because I'm a wee bit lazy, but also because sitting for more than a few hours is just not physically good for me. I'm convinced that all these office workers, chained to laptops, as well as our kids, plugged into devices 24/7 is causing major physical problems we didn't deal with just 15, 20 years ago. So it's a bit ironic that now I have the time to sit and write all day, but the pleasure is not worth all that stiffness! :-)
Cathy--Yeah, stiffness is a problem once you get to a certain age. Not that you or I are that age yet. ;)
DeleteDitto what Cathy said. All the sitting really takes its toll. I'm not sure how to get around that. I sit to write, sit to edit, and when I was doing medical transcription, that was all sitting, too. I walk 2 miles a day, but that isn't enough to counteract all the butt-in-chair. It's a problem. The phrase "all things in moderation" applies, but when your job requires sitting, what's the solution?
ReplyDeleteI'm not certain how much actual time I spend actually writing. The business of writing takes up more time than the writing itself, actually---something all authors lament---but there's no way around it. Marketing, engaging readers through social media, reading and workshopping, etc., all take time away from the pleasure of actually writing. With limited time, it's tough to do it all, but I guess we find/make time for the things we most love to do.
Actually...apparently that's my word of the day. lol Feel free to edit those out of that comment, Sioux!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cathy and Lisa. Sometimes I look at my step tracker and realize I haven't even made it to 1,000 steps for the day. Writing, planning, marketing, social media connecting, oh my! The writing part has suffered more than anything. As Lisa said, I need to find a balance (one that includes yucky housework).
ReplyDeletePat
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