There’s nothing like getting away to refill your creative juices.
My husband and I went to the Cayman Islands for Christmas, visiting family and old friends. We also managed to sneak in plenty of time at the beach. Bright sun, white sand, clear sea. Sitting there, watching the sunset, the surf grabbing my toes… It made me want to write a book.
Everyone’s creativity needs a break now and then. There’s only so many times we can pull out our best work before we need to replenish it. It doesn’t have to be a holiday on a tropical island, although who’d say no to that kind of break? A day trip to the zoo, a drive in the country, a walk around old buildings, even a walk around a nice park or neighborhood can perk up our creativity.
Next time you feel your story waning, get away for an hour, a day or a week. Let the wonderful views of our world rejuvenate you. According to the United Airlines magazine I read on our plane ride back, a study found that seeing awe-inspiring views can even make you happier, more generous and potentially live longer. I would have been fine with increased creativity, but happiness is a bonus.
Speaking of United Airlines, if you do decide to get away for your inspirational break, I recommend not flying this airline. The stress could dampen your creative spirit. A model of efficiency, United delayed two of our four flights (two each round trip) because of mechanical problems and lost our bag both going to Cayman and on the way back. Yep. That’s right. Both ways.
It’s actually impressive how terrible United Airlines is. Thank God, we got our bag on the next United flight to Cayman at the beginning of the vacation, which meant we had the Christmas gifts we had bought for our friends and family, even if we did have to wear the same clothes two days in a row. For our return trip, however, it’s not looking so good. Last night, we picked up our bag in Houston for Customs and dropped it off for the connecting flight. Even though the connecting flight was delayed for an hour and a half, United still didn’t get our bag on our plane. And the airline didn’t even have a record of it being in Houston even though we picked it up.
Amazing!
So steer clear of United for a stress-free creative time.
P.S. As I was reaching for the Publish button, I got an email saying our bag has been found and will be delivered. Thank you God!
