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How Suzanne Gets Her Groove Back

May 23rd 2007Suzanne Enoch
Suzanne EnochMy Life As A Plebe & On Writing!

puzzle-2.jpgBecause I’m on deadline, with every moment taken up by me trying to finish the book on which I’m working, I find myself thinking of everything I’d be doing if I wasn’t on deadline. Not necessary, house-cleaning or bill-paying type things, but the things I do to wind down, to set my brain free.

I, for instance, like to work on puzzles. Not those crazy one-color, two-sided ones, but regular puzzles with nice pictures of forests or fishing villages. I have a very large GeoTrax train set purchased for my two nephews. It sits on my family room floor for them, though the younger one seems to be better at playing “Godzilla smash train town” than trains. train-trax.jpgAnyway, I love trying to connect all the tracks and making as many twists and hills as possible.blocks.jpg

I also like my nephews’ large, bright-colored blocks. We make skyscrapers and then baby Godzilla knocks them down.

As I’ve gotten older and wiser, I’ve begun to realize that these “hobbies” of mine mimic writing. Putting things together into a coherent picture, except that I don’t have to go anywhere in particular. My friends and relations say it’s because I’m still a kid (I prefer being referred to as The Pan — Peter Pan), but I know it’s actually an exercise in plotting. And mental relaxation.

Reading is nice, too, but sometimes after weeks and months of working with words, something 3-dimensional is more relaxing. Oh, and movies. I love movies, though they don’t actually fit into my little paradigm for mental refurbishment. (I like the thesaurus, too.*g*)

beach-chair.gif What do you do to relax? Is it the opposite of what you do for work, or is it an extension of it?

45 Comments »

45 Responses to “How Suzanne Gets Her Groove Back”

  1. Stacy ~ on 23 May 2007 at 5:42 am #

    Well, reading is for relaxation, and I love movies, preferrably in the theatre but DVD works well too. And napping! Love to take naps. Lounging out in the sun with a cool drink - doesn’t necessarily have to be alcoholic but sometimes that helps. Just being lazy is relaxing. It’s a favorite pastime of mine.

  2. Stacy ~ on 23 May 2007 at 5:44 am #

    Oh and yes, it is the very opposite of what I do for work!

  3. MizMacgyver on 23 May 2007 at 5:56 am #

    I read, depending on how the book is going on whether that is necessarily relaxing or not though. I also work with a graphics program on my computer, making signature tags for friends and making QSL cards for my BF, he is into HAM Radio and they trade cards to show they have “connected”. That is like work only in the fact that I am sitting in front of a computer.

  4. Keri Ford on 23 May 2007 at 7:59 am #

    I’m with Stacy. For a day to relax and rejuvenate, I enjoy a day in the sun. A lot of times I read, but sometimes I just relax and listen to my headphones.

    As a fulltime mom, wife, housekeeper, and writer when the baby sleeps, hanging out in the sun is completely opposite- and quieter, than my work.

  5. susang on 23 May 2007 at 8:01 am #

    I have always used reading as my primary form of relaxation. I cannot be without a book–and have back ups in the car in case I finish one. Since I listen to books on tape whenever I am in the car, or cooking , doing housework, or in the garden, I always have to have back ups for those as well. In fact, listening to a book makes all sorts of drudgery into a reason to get the work done. So am I really relaxing? I’m not in the office, so that’s good enough for me! S

  6. Caren Crane on 23 May 2007 at 8:35 am #

    Like susang, I read to relax. Not always books, though. I have magazine subscriptions, too. I like to read when I cook or work out or sit at stoplights in traffic. Pretty much everywhere. It’s pure escape for me.

    Suzanne, you’re right about the “too many words” thing, though. Sometimes, since I work at a computer and write at a computer, my eyes are just tired. Then I usually watch movies or go out and work in the yard. Or work out and listen to music rather than reading. Anything to help the time pass while I’m working out! *g*

  7. ladydawgfan on 23 May 2007 at 8:40 am #

    I love to read to relax. For me, nothing says “relaxation” more than a good book (preferably by one of the Goddesses), a cool drink, a sunny day, and a seat under a tree by the lake. When it isn’t sunny, I tend to find quiet places to read, places where I can lose myself in my book and escape for a while.

  8. Susan K on 23 May 2007 at 8:56 am #

    For relaxation I love to read, watch movies and scrapbook. Usually when I’m scrapbooking I’m also watching a movie or Roseanne. I’ve tried all kinds of other crafts but I absolutely love scrapbooking. Cause you can scrapbook anything! I even have a scrapbook of my favorite authors. And pics of me with them. Of course I’ve only met one, Stephanie Laurens, but I’m determined to meet them all!

  9. Cail on 23 May 2007 at 9:00 am #

    aside from the obvious, novel reading, i love taking walks in the city and just day dreaming and listening to music. not only is it great exercize, its relaxing and clears my mind.

  10. MJ on 23 May 2007 at 9:02 am #

    Hm. Read, mostly…. but I also watch Britcoms or Nero Wolfe or Hercule Poirot DVDs (while playing Spider Solitaire on my computer, don’t ask me why these things go together…but they do!)….and go out for coffee with my friends…. and sing, either in a choir, or just by myself. (If you could see through my walls, you would die laughing. I sometimes like to dance around to Billy Joel or the like, singing loudly.)

    And since I work at a computer all day and teach all night, I think what the relaxation hobbies have in common is that they’re all in the realm of fantasy. Unlike you folks, I don’t have all that much scope for creativity in my jobs….and life is just too boring without fantasy.

  11. Claudia Dain on 23 May 2007 at 10:26 am #

    Once the book is finished, my brain oozing and smoking like a detonated organic bomb, I have to do something that has nothing to do with words, but has everything to do with imposing order and structure on chaos.

    So, yeah, I know exactly what you mean, Suzanne. It’s the same activity, but applied differently.

    I prune my garden, organize my pantry, clean the refrigerator, clean out my closets, wash the cars, reorganize my office…order out of chaos. These things settle my mind, calm it.

    Activities that charge me up to write are travel, movies, reading, television…so when I’m getting ready to start a new book, those are the things I do most. Weird, huh? When I’m sitting in front of the TV watching Heroes, a blank look on my face, I can honestly tell my DH that I’m “working.”

  12. Suzanne Enoch on 23 May 2007 at 10:26 am #

    I’m glad that my fellow goddesses and I are part of so many of your “feel good” regimens. It makes me feel good. *g*

    I love to go for a walk in the morning, too. Good exercise and very brain clearing. Except on the neighborhood trash pick-up day. Then it’s too smelly.

  13. Kay on 23 May 2007 at 10:36 am #

    New books, movies, and ipod fare– podcasts, music and more books—top the guilty pleasures. All of those hours of taking the kids places, waiting for them, then going home again, have been much improved for the whole family since the ipod appeared under the tree last year. My kids even think that some of my music is “cool.”

    Since I live in the GREAT FROZEN NORTH, gardening is a much-lovesd form of relaxation. I plant pots and window boxes too early, and have to lug them in and out of the garage several times before the chance of frost is past. In the cold months, I fuss over my houseplants: indoor herbs, orchids, tropicals and “cat grass.”

    Cooking–not the weeknight “What’s for dinner?” variety, but special stuff, is another favorite. I love wathching those creative cooking shows. My kids will watch Iron Chef with me, and we all have a blast.

  14. cookeemama on 23 May 2007 at 10:44 am #

    Reading is a relaxer for me. I can get lost in a good story and not hear a bomb if it went off near me. Altho, when I was young and had kids, I could hear them miles away.

    The other relaxing thing for me is working on a quilt in one form or another. By that I mean, selecting fabric, color, pattern, pressing fabric, handling fabric, etc. Then, I love running the sewing machine. And seeing the thing come together. Not always the way I had envisioned, but however. At the moment, I am into string piecing. More fun than a grown woman should have.

    I never leave the house w/o a book(s) and my cell phone. Panic w/o either. Don’t know if that makes me pathetic, but it works for me.

  15. Sabrina Jeffries on 23 May 2007 at 10:56 am #

    Well, reading, TV watching, and movie-going are big ones for me but the puzzle thing is truly a luxury. I LOVE doing a big jigsaw puzzle. Unlike you, Suzanne, I’m not keen on the landscape ones (too much monotonous sky pieces), but I love ones with lots of color and variety to the image, like the ones of shells or buttons or ones with interesting art. Whenever we go on vacation, I have to do a puzzle. It’s a rule. I love it so much.

    Unfortunately, my other main entertainment is eating badly. Which I’m giving up for a while in my perennial attempt to get my body healthy.

  16. darkshire007 on 23 May 2007 at 11:13 am #

    Reading and cooking. I relax by reading a book and cooking in between pages. Cookies, for example, give me 10 minutes of reading between trays. Cakes give me 35 minutes; between prep and finish. You get the idea.

  17. dbrown3400 on 23 May 2007 at 11:31 am #

    I read during most of my spare time. Like susang, I carry a spare book in case I finish the one I’m reading. Sabrina, Beware A Scot’s Revenge arrived today and would have been here sooner had I not messed up my ordering sequence. Sorry. Will read tonight after work. Promise.

    If I’m at home, I have music going in the background. I still don’t have the knack of my iPod while I’m on the go.

    I’ve started collecting DVDs of old musicals. By the Light of the Silvery Moon, On Moonlight Bay, Hello Dolly, etc. Some of these are re-released or transferred onto DVD from VHS. In most cases the transfer is pretty good. I find the nostalgia relaxing and so different from what I watch today.

    Donna

  18. gannon on 23 May 2007 at 11:47 am #

    Reading is my usual way to relax. Movies and music also make the list. And of course, if I’m feeling really indulgent, a pedicure or massage is absolutely perfect! :)

  19. zambonigirl on 23 May 2007 at 12:17 pm #

    My best friend and I sometimes get together for scrapbooking. It’s fun to connect and compare our nieces. Mine is obviously the cuter and more intelligent, but hers is certainly no slouch. Sometimes we like to go to actual scrapbooking stores and join a group where we all sit around and talk. It’s always a lot of fun, we always stay too late, we always buy a whole bunch of products that we just don’t need, and we always have a page that we accidentally smear with chocolate. It’s interesting, because scrapbooking on my own can actually stress me out, but having people around to bounce ideas off of and look at their layouts really makes it so much better. Plus, we all bring our books and magazines along, so there’s a plethora of ideas floating around. I find that I can get about five full pages (two-page layout) done in a matter of hours, and yet I can only get about two full pages done in the same amount of time on my own.

  20. anneriailin on 23 May 2007 at 12:20 pm #

    Reading and movies are what I do to relax, usually. And of course, I play on the computer. I visit The Goddess Blogs and I love SUDOKU and Mah Jongg on the computer. Anything to keep me busy so I don’t have to clean!! Ooops…did I say that outloud? And from reading this, you’d think I didn’t work a full-time and a part-time job!! LOL

    –dorothy

  21. KMB25 on 23 May 2007 at 12:25 pm #

    I think gannon’s got it down with the pedicure and the massage!! I also love to read and use that as an escape from my everyday life :)

    I’ve noticed too that I use the internet as a means of relaxation…I like to check my email and surf and read and post on blogs! I find it very relaxing to lose myself in these fun blog topics!

    I also like to go to the movies…but with the price of tickets now, we haven’t gone as often (plus there have to be good movies out to see!) Actually I’m going to see Shrek 3 tonight with the hubby and some friends–and I’m really looking forward to it :)

    ~Kim

  22. Julia London on 23 May 2007 at 12:49 pm #

    Movies, books, TV. Working out is a always a big stress reliever for me, too, altho you would never know it by looking at me. And then a little retail therapy and me time (like I don’t get enough of that as it is) — pedicures, hair stuff, facials. I love facials. And I do a lot of floating in the pool, reflecting on my genius. I’m out in about two minutes, but those two minutes are very relaxing.

  23. Suzanne Enoch on 23 May 2007 at 12:50 pm #

    I’m an admitted Bookworm and Slingo computer game addict. They’re actually great when I need a break for a minute but don’t actually want to get up and start on something else. The problem is stopping after a reasonable amount of time.

  24. MJ on 23 May 2007 at 12:57 pm #

    Oh Julia - I hear you re: the facial! My esthetician does a hand and arm massage with the facial… and a lower leg and foot massage with the spa pedicure. I LOVE it. Soft music, lavendar oil, dimmed lights. (Hope I don’t snore….she’s never complained but I’m not entirely sure I’m awake for all of this sublime experience.)

    I *used to be* a low maintenance woman…but now I’m completely addicted to my spa Saturday, during which I get waxed, buffed and polished. I don’t look any different afterwards but I feel fantastic and just float home…. (just ’cause the clock’s winding down doesn’t mean I shouldn’t polish the case….)

  25. Julia London on 23 May 2007 at 1:30 pm #

    MJ, me too! High maintenance! I love that expression about the clock, BTW — can’t wait to use it on my oldest sister, who is taking her $$$ with her and wouldn’t shell out for a spa day if it was a matter of life or death. Middle sister, oh yeah, she’s right there with me :-)

  26. amy1242 on 23 May 2007 at 1:30 pm #

    Margarita’s and my girlfriends! Oh, don’t get me wrong…I love reading too. But nothing can take the place of meeting the girls out for a couple of pitchers of margarita’s and girl talk. We laugh our butt’s off, mostly about how idiotic men can be, and then when our husbands ask us if we’ve had a good time, we just giggle and hope they never turn into that fly on the wall!

    Amy

  27. foreverdelayed on 23 May 2007 at 3:07 pm #

    I used to do a lot of crafting. My favorite was latch hook rugs. I did so many for a while I ran our things to do with them. I have a few that need to be finished but I haven’t touched them in almost a year. It was a great way to relax after a hard day at my office job. Now that I work in a bookstore, you would think that I read more than before but I don’t. Some days I get home and don’t even want to look at a book, so I watch more T.V. I still read at least one book a week.
    Now that I have been talking about them, I think I will get out my latch hook rug tonight.

  28. Claudia Dain on 23 May 2007 at 3:15 pm #

    Amy, yes! Going out with the girls. It’s the best stress reliever and down-time gift ever.

    And Donna, I’m so with you on the old movie/musical vibe. My daughter, who is in college, was sitting around with one of her roommates and Gidget came on TV. My daughter *insisted* that they watch it. Her roommate had never seen it, can you believe? Anyway, when it was over and they were both grinning from ear to ear, her roommate said, “Why don’t they make movies like that anymore? It was so sweet.”

    And then, naturally, she spent the next few nights calling out, “Moondoggie! Oooh, Moondoggie!”

    LOL

  29. Ronlyn on 23 May 2007 at 3:23 pm #

    well, let’s see. There’s always the lovely glass of wine and a nice bubble bath…a good book…sleeping tops the list too. But my all time favorite thing to do to relax (which makes most people roll their eyes) is to garden. I simply LOVE being outside puttering with the plants and flowers making things grow. It makes me feel good about myself and that I’m actually *doing* something with my time. LOL

  30. Karen W. on 23 May 2007 at 4:11 pm #

    Reading is my favorite way of relaxing, and since I’m a bookseller, I guess it’s technically an extension of work!
    Heck, they should just pay me to read so I’ll be able to make more recommendations to customers! ;-)

  31. flip on 23 May 2007 at 4:21 pm #

    I love to read…but I also love to take walks…mandering, going nowhere in particular walks. I rate cities that I visit on how walkable I find them. I loved Savannah, Ga, New Orleans San Francisco (the hills are great exercise) and Seattle. Trying to walk anywhere in Los Angelos is truly difficult.

  32. Suzanne Enoch on 23 May 2007 at 4:39 pm #

    flip, you went walking in LA? You’re braver than I am. I live about 20 miles south of Downtown, and I HATE driving in, much less walking. I would definitely not call that relaxing. *g*

  33. Stacy S on 23 May 2007 at 6:22 pm #

    Love to read to relax. Also, listen to music.

  34. Brandy on 23 May 2007 at 6:53 pm #

    To relax I like to read, but as I am a SAHM I am often interrupted. I also use blog-hopping as a mood pick-me-up. Sometimes the only way to relax my brain enough at night, and this is weird, for me to sleep, I play Zooma or tetris on my cellphone. I don’t know why, but it relaxes me!

  35. Kay on 23 May 2007 at 7:34 pm #

    flip, Savannah is my favorite city to walk in. :-)

  36. TheNightPoet on 23 May 2007 at 8:30 pm #

    I read to relax. I also write poems or sometimes listen to music. I’ll watch moveis too.

    Andrea

  37. Kelly Ann on 23 May 2007 at 8:43 pm #

    I sit in front of 2 computer screens all day at work. I’m a construction reporter & my title is web reporter specialist, so when I get home & it’s time to relax - I read, play bookworm or scrabble blast, visit the goddess blogs, read my email. I pray I never go blind! I also like to cook & play with the kids & dog. We love games, boggle & Life (Sponge Bob, of coarse) & taboo. We also love to go hiking, camping & swimming. (I almost always have to have a book with me though- just in case!)

  38. Karen Hawkins on 23 May 2007 at 10:19 pm #

    Ah … you all sure know how to relax!

    I’m in the midst of crisis with my teenage son so right now, relaxing is at a premium for me. What do I do … hot bath, a chilled glass of wine, and a book or a sudoku puzzle.

    Also (and this sounds weird) but sometimes, if I’m REALLY stressed, I’ll organize a part of my house like a closet or a file cabinet drawer or the baker’s rack. I know . . . I probably need therapy!

    (WARNING: Suzanne tried to get me addicted to Bookworm last year at RWA Nationals and it ALMOST worked. I couldn’t remember the site to download it from or I’d have been late with every deadline this year. That woman is FANTATICAL! DON’T LISTEN TO HER IF SHE TRIES TO GET YOU TO ‘JUST LOOK’ AT IT! IT’S THE CRACK COCAINE OF PUTER GAMES!)

  39. Suzanne Enoch on 24 May 2007 at 12:14 am #

    Oh, that is so unfair, KarenH. It’s just a fun, harmless little game. That happens to be at realarcade.com. I would never force anyone to play. Ever. And just because I’m bringing my computer to Nationals again this year doesn’t mean anything. Uh uh.

  40. SuzyQ on 24 May 2007 at 9:29 am #

    My ultimate relaxation is reading a book by the shore while my feet play in the sand (it’s a natural pedicure). I also like to take pictures of anything that grabs my interest. Just walking around and capturing the scenery helps me take my mind off things.

    Suzanne - I love Bookworm too! I got my co-worker addicted to it.

    Karen - sorry to hear you are having a crisis. Hang in there!!!

  41. DebMarlowe on 24 May 2007 at 1:23 pm #

    Hot tub. I love a hot tub! I wish I had a hot tub!

    Hang in there, Karen. I’m so scared of the teen years!

  42. RachelG on 24 May 2007 at 5:05 pm #

    I thought I posted here yesterday. Wow, must have been the muscle relaxer.

    To unwind, I do crossword puzzles. Easy ones so I don’t feel stupid.

    rg

  43. MizMacgyver on 24 May 2007 at 6:59 pm #

    Hang in there Karen, the teen years do pass, I have one 28 now (she almost done me in at 13) and now my son is 17. So far the only crisis with him was when his 360 died.

  44. Karen Hawkins on 25 May 2007 at 7:32 am #

    Thanks, MizG! I’m hoping he’s alive and well. One of the things he was doing was going cliff diving into the river with some of his friends. Kids used to do it at that same place when I was in high school wayyy back when, but the river’s low this year and cliff is about forty feet high in places.

    Worse, two weeks ago someone broke their back when they hit.

    What does he say when I tell him Do NOT do this? “Mooom. You worry too much!”

    Aiyiyiyyi!

  45. MizMacgyver on 25 May 2007 at 3:46 pm #

    40 feet!! Oy! Makes my heart race just imagining it. Bless your heart, I do know where you are coming from. Maybe if you know who it was that broke their back you should take him to visit them. With my daughter I had to make her see the consequences of her actions sometimes. Painful for both of us, her for the seeing and me for having to allow it. Our instincts are to protect our children from uglies in life but sometimes they have to see it to learn.