Blip Journal; the progress of a NYC writer. Being and doing and just being

Odilia Rivera-Santos

Action, activity, the noise of life, carrying a gym bag, book, notebook, and lip gloss. Oh, today, I may have to leave the lip gloss behind even though it smells of summer and fruit. We used to speak of the Europeans' ability to relax, unplug and how advanced they were at methods of relaxation... the Spaniards with four-hour lunches at which everyone arrives magically at the same hour, via trolley, to the beautifully-set table where breads, wines, fine cheeses and four varieties of spinach adorning the table.
A gustatory and visual feast with a sprinkling of conversation on the most intriguing political events and intellectuals of the day and discussions bordering on nothing but smiles and joy.
However, the Spaniards don't know how to relax and neither do the French. Everyone is in fight or flight mode with Ipad, Mac, Android or Iphone in hand to conquer the world or to just maintain contact with an underearning position that while underearning is still some kind of earning.

Journalists working in the paper medium must compete with those of us who suffer from insomnia and may wander out at an odd hour, recording devices in hand, to find the latest riot -- which we can post along with a charming blurb in five minutes. It is magic, and magic, as you well know, sometimes causes a lot of problems. If you're unaware of this, perhaps, you need to do your research -- Bewitched is online somewhere in reruns in perpetuity.

Speaking to a friend yesterday about time and activity, doing and overdoing, being and living, numbing out and feeling life, I told her to choose two things. In American culture, people can continue to choose new things all the time. Commercialism requires attention spans to be short in order to upsell or sidesell you another product or notion. Ephemeral products are always popular.

Being a writer 
A writer must be many things in order to write. A negotiator, talker, researcher, interpreter of human motivation, an empath, and some kind of savant.

Choose three things at the most!
This was the kernel of wisdom I was able to deliver at my friend's feet. Creative people need to be creative but more than that, we all need an overwhelming drive to see one action as the mainstay and others as the foundation to keep dreams afloat.



Love When You Say Love, Poetry by Odilia RIvera-Santos