Writing on Medium: My Sunday Ritual That Helps Enormously
I’m in my sixth month of writing on Medium, and have developed a little routine that helps to keep my mind and writing fresh (I think)
Once I started my writing “career” I found I had to have some time to refresh, to learn, and to sow more seeds in my creative mind-garden. There are probably many ways to do this, but I am limited in some ways, so I’ve had to get a little creative — and also resist the tug of need for money (and deadlines) as a reason to just do what I do for 15 hours a day the other 6 days of the week.
My own approach developed over time; and I am sad to say that for perhaps 20 out of 52 weeks I still have to spend my Sundays “rendering unto Caesar.” But I try hard to save some Sundays for better things.
Music
Although I listen to music (Spotify, thanks to my son), and watch music videos in the evenings throughout the week, I always find some time on Sunday mornings to watch Reina del Cid’s Sunday Mornings videos. Usually it’s after the dogs have their breakfast, and then help me to eat mine.
Here’s one such video, and she and various folks do one every Sunday. I try to catch them all. This one is their cover of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon, and left to right it’s Carson, Toni, Reina & Josh. They have taken the place of Sunday services these days.
Their videos are a nice way to start my Sundays.
Art
Being mostly unskilled in painting myself, I have developed a tiny art-collecting bug. I find that sitting in the middle of loved art, and even to have it look over my shoulder while eating, feeds my soul. Most of my current artworks come from Caribbean Cruises of yore, as the art auctions on the ships at least used to be a big deal.
Every Sunday I walk the whole collection, appreciating them and learning new details about each.
The works in the above two photos I keep close to me, in the place where I spend maybe 15 hours a day. Just walking about and looking at them helps me to take a deep breath and recharge my batteries.
Upstairs, where I can see them every time I sit to eat a meal, are some of my favorites — all by the same Frenchman, who rendered portraits of 4 famous artists. I fell in love with these on my last cruise in 2018, and just had to have the entire set. Can you name them? They are (left to right) Renoir, Dali, Picasso and Van Gogh. Every meal I eat at that table gives me some amount of joy.
I have needed that little bit of joy every day over the last year.
Lectures and Archaeology/History videos
I am at heart the eternal student. If I had tons of money, I would be at some university somewhere, just learning something more, and then writing about it.
I cannot do that, so every Sunday I watch several hours of lectures, or history or archaeology videos. Mostly just for my own knowledge, being a historian and archaeologist by training and love — but also because I’ve found that they help my mind to percolate ideas and draft frameworks for articles.
Today I watched an old video lecture by a professor discussing the facts and non-facts of Dan Brown’s novel The DaVinci Code; and a new British Time Team video about ancient Roxburgh in Scotland.
I have some ideas percolating, and I’m refreshed a little to start yet another week of work. So, my Sunday was well spent, and I hope to share more little pieces on Medium.
But, maybe my Sunday ritual will resonate even a little for my fellow Medium writers, and maybe even help in a small way? I hope so.
