In chapter 12, Boice says that bodily fatigue (ex. eye strains) can help us to pause or stop. I agree with Boice. I usually stop when I feel hungry or when my eyes are aching. However, I do not think that this is the only situation in which I practice Boice’s suggestion. So, I was thinking: do I pause or stop besides the time I feel physically tired?
I usually think of “stop” in a literal sense, that is, I stop doing something and then sit on the sofa to relax. But, in fact, I practice my stopping by doing (other things), so I do not literally stop. For example, I brew a cup of tea as a gesture of pausing or stopping whenever I sit at the desk. And it takes time to choose what kind of tea I would like to have today, and I boil water, and then I wait for tea leaves to expand, and I drain the first brew of tea, and I pour hot water again, and finally I have my tea. I pause during the writing when I sip my tea. Also, I repeat the whole process of brewing tea when it goes bland. I think pausing or stopping is important for me, but I am not the person who can completely stop and do nothing. So, I believe that finding my own way of pausing and stopping is important.
Boice says that what makes stop difficult are the “deficits in patience and tolerance.” This statement reminds me that the way one experiences her writing or working is closely related to her personality. For example, the person who possesses the personality of patience or stableness may be more likely to practice Boice advice. I guess the best way to create my other forms of pausing and stopping is to know what kind of person I am and find what really suits me.
I know what you mean; it's hard for me to stop and just sit, but stopping to grab a snack, throw some clothes into the washing machine, or--as you say--brew a cup of tea is much easier for me. I wonder if Boice would view this kind of stopping favorably?
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