My review of The Listening Path and Laziness Does Not Exist

Julia Cameron’s The Listening Path suggests simple habits that could transform a life in many positive ways. Subtitled The Creative Art of Attention, the book encourages us to slow down to intentionally listen, and to schedule solo “artist dates” and walks to practice becoming more observant of our surroundings. Cameron believes these habits will enrich our relationships, our joy, and our creativity. The foundational habit that frees our mind to be more fully present to life is what she calls “morning pages.”

 

Morning pages are simply private, stream-of-consciousness, handwritten thoughts, worries, gratitude, prayers—whatever is on your mind. As you write, you may see a solution you hadn’t seen before, or discover a deep-seated dream for your life, or get more in touch with what you’re thankful for. At the very least, writing morning pages clears your mind for greater attentiveness.

 

Cameron’s The Listening Path is a series of anecdotes illustrating the habits and people’s transformative results, so the principles that make the habits effective read like an interesting story. I’ve begun the habits she suggests and find a new energy to life. She calls this “a six-week Artist’s Way program," and she’s laid out what to practice listening to each of the six weeks: our environment, others, our higher self, beyond the veil, our heroes, and silence.

 

Besides the habits themselves, I found Cameron’s frequent sidebar suggestions immensely helpful. Her sidebars, entitled: Try This, are specific assignments. Even if you practiced only one of her forty-plus sidebar challenges, you’d grow as a person.

 

I just happened to borrow Laziness Does Not Exist from the library while I was reading The Listening Path, which turned out to be serendipitous timing. Social psychologist Dr. Devon Price rethinks our society’s negative connotations of laziness by pointing out that periods of mental inactivity are necessary to solve problems, create, gain insights, heal, prioritize tasks, get in touch with our feelings, and so forth. Price includes charts, and I love charts. My favorites in this book are “Mental Habits That ‘Dampen’ Happiness” [page 117] and “Mental Habits That Help Us Savor Happiness.” [page 119] And Price suggests awe-inspiring activities that would fit right in with Julia Cameron’s “Try This” assignments.

 

Sadly, I will not have time to read Laziness Does Not Exist in its entirety at this time, but I can see that this book offers scientifically based permission to free yourself from counterproductive cultural work, relationship, and personal expectations. Let's hear it for downtime!

 

Blue Moon

 When Scarlet Leaf Review accepted my flash (< 1,000 words) fiction piece for publication last summer, I eagerly awaited the issue they said it would appear in. I never found it, perhaps because this technoweenie couldn't figure out their website. Then I forgot about it. So, happy surprise today when I discovered my little story in their online literary magazine. You can read it here, if you'd like: Blue Moon by Jane Hoppe

The Gate

 I love big water. Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, the Atlantic … if I’m even vaguely close, I’ll make the effort to get there and stand in awe of its shimmering foreverness. The other day I could take the quickest route home, or meander a bit just to get a glimpse of Lake Michigan. Approaching Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve, I saw Big Blue in the distance, and my heart did a happy dance.

 

Then I noticed this gate. I laughed. The park is for hikers, so if you’re on foot, you just walk around the big bad gate and head to the lake. Duh-uh. Of course the gate is to bar cars from going farther in that spot, but I got to thinking about gates we can easily walk around, like the proverbial unlocked jail cell we sometimes sit inside.

 

For me, one thing that’s been on the other side of that gate for about fifty years is eating alone in a nice restaurant. I was afraid of embarrassment and boredom. Just two years ago, I discovered solo fine dining is neither. Just skipped right around that ol’ gate—finally. What gates are you facing?

 

Sometimes getting around the gate requires baby steps. I’ve chosen to form some new habits, so although I feel like I’m slo-mo crawling around the gate, I sense progress. It might only be a couple more weeks till I’ll be far enough along to stand back up and see Big Blue’s whitecaps.

 

Some horizon-expanding gates are things remaining on a bucket list: to kayak, to live in France, to find an agent for a book. Some gates are goals: to organize records, to list family heirlooms, to research ancestors’ stories. When I feel overwhelmed by any daunting dream, I will try to think of it as just a gate I can walk around.