Bridget McNulty

Sacred Sloth.

// January 19th, 2009 // No Comments » // Life (and the living of it), Time

I’ve come up with a new concept that I think could be quite powerful (and that just so happens to be rather delicious!)
I call it Sacred Sloth.

What is it? Well, every so often (I’d say every second week, but I’m still experimenting with the finer details), you give yourself a day off for Sacred Sloth. What that means is that you have full permission to sleep late, stay in bed reading till noon, wear your pyjamas all day if you like, lie in your hammock or on your couch, read voraciously, draw, eat delicious food, watch inspiring TV (none of that brain-rotting stuff!) and generally do whatever it is you feel like, in slow motion.

I had one of these days yesterday, and I have to say it’s a real tonic. It feels like I went on a mini-holiday. I highly recommend it. And because it’s only one day, there’s no need to feel guilty about wasting time. In fact, it’s the opposite of a waste of time, because a day of Sacred Sloth counteracts the effects of stress, and ensures you don’t burn out from working too hard.

Give it a go! You deserve it.

In the living of life:

// November 19th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Philosophy

I often get caught up in reporting on it. As something cool / exciting / lovely is happening, I’ll think, “Ooh! Must write about this! Must tell so and so! Mustn’t forget this!”

But I’m beginning to think that’s a somewhat foolish approach. Because as soon as you take yourself out of whatever is happening, you take yourself out of it. It loses some of its flavour. One of the most difficult challenges my practical philosophy class ever set was to ‘just’ do something. When you’re driving, just drive. When you’re eating, just eat. When you’re reading, just read. This is bordering on impossible for me! When I’m driving, I’m singing. When I’m eating, I’m planning. When I’m reading, I’m humming. And all along I’m thinking, thinking, thinking.

So the past few weeks I’ve been trying to correct the balance (and becoming a bad blogger in the process, I apologise!) It’s an extraordinarily eventful time for me, all of a sudden. I was sick, then my man was sick, then my parents came for a lovely lovely weekend visit, then I found out about the US book (which I’m still over the moon about!). Now I have work to do and an impending trip to Namibia (for work! Before the end of the year!) and we’re going cherry picking and lawn bowling and 80s partying this weekend, and next weekend I’ve got the Cosmo Awesome Women event in Joburg and then a 90th birthday in Knysna (5 hours from Cape Town). The day I arrive back I’m probably off to Namibia for a week, and when I return my best friend is coming to stay with me. Then my man and I are going back to Knysna for a wedding, and when we get back my brother and his girlfriend arrive to stay with us. And then we’re driving back to Durban (a mini road trip which will take  couple of days) for Christmas with the whole family.

So, as you can see, if I didn’t stay centered and in the moment, my head might be flying off its hinges!

And the one thing I keep returning to is that I want to enjoy this time of year. It’s frantic and full of people and probably lacking in the alone time I like so much, but it’s so exciting! And I want to be fresh and rested and firmly in the present moment so I can enjoy it. I don’t want to be stressed.

Don’t you want to join me? Join me in this experiment to see if you can ‘just’ do whatever you’re doing right now?

The middle way…

// August 13th, 2008 // No Comments » // Decisions, Publishing, Writing

I’m not angry any more (thank goodness!)
I don’t do so well with anger – it kind of gets into my blood and makes me feel fizzy and agitated.
But I still feel wronged, and I realised that it’s an unusual feeling for me. I don’t think people take advantage of me much… I feel lucky to be able to say this!

It’s interesting, though, because as I was deciding what to do about this situation (an online literary journal publishing my work without my consent, for those of you out of the loop) my immediate response was – just let it go! When things make me feel bad, I naturally want them out of my life. It always seems to me to be an either/or argument. Either you’re furious and ranting and can’t concentrate OR you let it go and don’t do anything about it.

But I think there has to be a middle way. I used to rile against the notion of the middle way, because I thought it meant being mediocre and not getting much done. Now I’ve realised that the middle way represents balance, and I am all about balance.

So what’s the balanced thing to do here? Take action, without negative emotion. Remove the emotional charge and just make sure that the situation is resolved. Is this obvious to everyone else? Is it just me who doesn’t see how much sense this makes, and has spent the last couple of decades either/or-ing?

So I’m going to get in touch with the publisher of the magazine and ask them to resolve the situation, and if they don’t I’m going to publish a warning against them for other writers to read. I just hate the thought that there are editors and publishers out there who are just grabbing people’s writing without any thought or respect directed to the writers. It takes all the joy out of it, you know?

I’ll keep you posted….
Incidentally, the way I reached this middle way conclusion was by asking myself, “What would a wise woman do?” so I’m being a good philosophy student in the process!

Tainted by anger…

// August 12th, 2008 // 3 Comments » // Decisions, Life (and the living of it), Writing

I discovered this morning that someone has published some of my work without my permission – and without telling me. I’m not naming names (yet) because I’m trying to resolve it, but the whole thing has left me feeling so cross.

Basically, I sent through some samples of work to find out if said person (an editor of an online literary journal) wanted me to write for them. No response, besides the initial request to send through the work, and no response to a follow-up email sent a month later (this was all in March and April, mind you!)

Then, as I’m trawling the internet today, what do I stumble on but the two samples of my writing I sent through, PUBLISHED in his online magazine, without telling me or asking my permission! He even wrote me a bio from an email I sent him, and filched a photo off my website. Now, I ask you, is this honest? Is it decent?

It’s not the fact that he didn’t pay me that irritates me the most (although that gets my goat too, don’t you worry!) No, it’s the fact that someone would go behind my back and publish something of mine without telling me. It’s sneaky. And disrespectful. I don’t like it.

So now I’ve emailed the editor man and am waiting for a response. But in the meantime – despite dancing out my anger to loud music and going for a fast, long walk (also to loud music) – I’ve found my day tainted by anger. I’m not as in tune as I usually am.

And although I know this is a choice – to let it affect me – I also just feel like I’ve been wronged, you know
Let’s wait and see what his response is. Perhaps there’s a perfectly logical explanation (and I’m just not creative enough to see it)?