Day ThirtyOne: Self Care on Residency

Daily Word Count: 3,865
Cumulative Words Written: 51,853
Total Words Discarded: 14,500
Total Chapters Drafted: 22
Time Spent Writing Today: 6.5 hours

Ok. I admit it. Self care isn’t a big priority on residency. I might go two days without showering, a week without washing my hair.

When the voices on residency are loud,
self care isn’t a priority.

Until I grow weary of seeing my nasty roots in the mirror. I visit Charmaine, my glorious hair therapist, every four weeks. She keeps my red tresses presentable state-side.

But I’m in Portugal for seven weeks. Without Charmaine to whisper my hair therapy.

We developed a system. She gives me a tube of temporary color. I mix it into a plastic bowl and wand it onto my roots, no easy task when I cannot see the back. Because it fades with every wash, she’s not worried I’ll do TOO much damage.

So today, I spent part of my time doing self care on residency. I locked myself in my bathroom and did my best to freshen up my color.

How’d I do?

For several hours, I grappled with business back home. I finally sat down with my manuscript at almost 5pm. But given that it’s the solstice, I have more light to work, right?

Only we made another communal repast instead.

I cooked shrimp and bacon risotto. Jen made Macedonian salad with cucumber, tomato, onion, oil and vinegar. Sarah baked chocolate chip cookies. Tone cleaned up.

We talked about what fuels inspiration. How we find ideas. The importance of listening as a creator.

I may not have made as many words as I wanted, but creative communions feed my soul, too. They’re a big part of self care on residency.

Because what’s word production without growth, creation without connection?

To follow my residency at Buinho Creative Hub from the beginning, CLICK HERE and read forward.