They say, “Action is the enemy of thought”, and I partly agree, as in some ways, it can be the enemy of idle, unproductive and intrusive thought. Yet, in other ways, hard work helps to stimulate creative flow and thought, leading to moments of great catharsis, mental clarity, hindsight and insight. I just feel that hard work results in focused thought and creativity. It is as though the hard physical work helps to align body and mind, somehow channelling creativity. For example, I worked for a good 4 long hours in my garden today. I dug, raked, transplanted, planted, weeded and potted. I was inspired and in what I would call a creative flow state of being. I have great visual imagination and can do mental gymnastics in my mind, imagining and reimagining the space and my goals. I cleared a relatively large space, moved large sandstone slabs, and went to war with the most resilient and pervasive passionate fruit vine. I spend hours in my small greenhouse, planting new seeds, filling up containers, lifting, moving, planting and rearranging. I got to step back and admire the lettuce, Bok Choy, tomatoes, coriander, and cucumber seedlings breaking through the soil. I also felt some excitement or hope that the other seeds I had planted would soon grow (sunflower, an array of herbs, corn, beetroot, beans and much more). I got to stand back and admire the hard work I had done, sizing up the available space in the garden and mentally planning how I would go about maximising my garden’s harvest potential (given that it is just an ordinary 800 m2 block in suburbia) My hard work was rewarded with finding little gems, such as a beautiful native tree that had self-seeded, coriander, self-propagating tomato seedlings and the beautiful crisp asparagus tips that I have been growing.
My hard work can be seen in the 4-metre avocado tree that I have growing. I work hard in my professional career and as a mum. I love cooking healthy, nutritious meals for my family. Five years ago, instead of tossing the used avocado seed in the bin, I cleaned and peeled it and tried my luck at propagating it. Now, 5 years later, it is flowering for the first time, and more importantly, it is large enough now to add more shade to my garden and provide a refuge and home for birds. My hard work can benefit others vicariously. My garden is also a refuge for bees. I am working hard to create an environment that bees, especially a large variety of native bees, want to call home, or at least their very lush dinner table.
Hard work leaves me feeling sated. The release of feel-good chemicals and hormones helps to boost my mood, leaving me feeling like I have achieved something purposeful. Other people don’t need to know what I’ve done, as I am driven more by internal motivation. I derive great pride, contentment, and gratitude when I can finally step away from something I have toiled over, whether it is an assessment report at work or getting down and dirty in the garden. I have aspects of myself that are somewhat ‘perfectionist’ in nature, or more importantly, when I genuinely care about something, I pour my body, heart and soul into it. Now, I need to put my mind and time towards my writing and photography. I am procrastinating in that respect. My dream, or should i say goal, is to finally publish a book that others find engaging and relevant. Wish me luck!
Selectively Juggling 
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