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in issue twelve:
Synchronicity
Scintillations
The Phone Call
Finding Feathers
Did God Land Me
   This Waitress Gig?
Letting Good Happen
Continuous
   Synchronicity
Unexpected Inspiration
Rubber Band Fairy
Bird on My Shoulder
Listen To Your Body
Letters to
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Books That Changed
   My Life
Moody Girl

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Issue 15: Transitions

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Unexpected Inspiration

Jodi Helmer www.jodihelmer.com

Just looking at my calendar was making me feel anxious: In one week I had to write six articles, interview 15 sources, edit four essays for a client, and complete a professional portfolio in order to make the deadline to apply to grad school. I had less than 24 hours to write an article about the benefits of summer camp for kids and I couldn’t find a single expert source to interview, despite making dozens of calls. On top of the deadline pressure, I was worrying about getting new assignments: I hadn’t come up with a single idea to pitch in over a week. I was overbooked, overtired and overwhelmed.

On top of the unwritten articles and looming deadlines, there was a nagging fear that I wouldn’t be able to do a good job. I was so worried about writing the perfect article that I couldn’t write a single sentence. After working on the same paragraph for over an hour, I sat at my desk on the verge of tears and decided to call it a day.

“You’re in over your head,” I told myself as I stood in the kitchen and brewed a cup of tea. I grabbed my favorite blanket from my bed and, feeling defeated, curled up on the sofa. For a long while I sipped tea and stared at the ceiling, worrying about all the time I had wasted. I tried reading, but flipping through magazines reminded me that I should be writing, not lounging about. In an attempt to completely zone out, I turned on the television.

I flipped aimlessly through the channels and landed on PBS where a woman was nuzzling an exotic cat. Listening to the loud purring of the oversized kitty made me feel sleepy and since I had already wasted most of the day, I decided to close my eyes and take a nap. I was only half listening to the narrator when I heard him say, “In a small rural town just west of Portland, Oregon…” Portland! I immediately turned my head toward the television and realized the wildlife sanctuary they were profiling was just minutes from my house.

I sat up and listened more closely to what they were saying. The owners of the sanctuary had used all of their energy and savings to create a safe haven for wildcats that would otherwise have been abandoned, abused or put to sleep.

I grabbed my notebook and started scribbling notes while I listened to the narrator talk about the fundraising efforts and volunteer hours it took to create the wildcat organization. As I wrote, a story idea began to take shape and I found myself mentally reviewing the publications that would be interested in profiling this sanctuary.

The show ended and I started flipping through the channels again, thinking about whether I should get off of the sofa and try to go back to work, or give in to the nap that I had been fantasizing about. I caught the introduction to the local news and realized it was already 6 p.m. Frustrated that the entire day had passed and I still hadn’t checked anything off of my to-do list, I made my way back to the kitchen for another cup of tea. I sat back down to watch the news, again, half-listening and half-daydreaming.

For the past few weeks the station had been running a “Schools in Crisis” special report. This week’s report began, “As the end of the school year approaches, many parents are turning to summer camp to give their kids an opportunity to participate in arts and physical education programs that have been cut from the school’s curriculum: Tonight’s Schools in Crisis report focuses on the benefits of summer camp for kids.”

I sat up on the sofa and looked around the living room, certain I was on Candid Camera or caught in the Twilight Zone. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect: I was in the process of writing an article on that exact subject – the benefits of summer camp for kids – and having a lot of trouble finding expert sources.

Once again I grabbed my notebook and wrote down the names of key organizations that were highlighted in the news spot. The report featured an interview with a local college professor who was studying, of all things, the benefits of summer camp. I wrote down her name, and vowed to call her first thing in the morning.

After watching the news for a few more minutes, I turned off the TV and picked up my journal. I started to write and realized that the feeling of overwhelming frustration that I’d felt when I was sitting in front of the computer this morning was gone. The deadlines hadn’t disappeared, but my nervousness about meeting them had. Taking the afternoon off to sip tea and doze on the sofa had renewed my energy and left me feeling relaxed enough to tackle the projects I’d committed to – tomorrow.

True to my word, when I woke up the next morning I opened my notebook and called the source from the evening news. Not only was she willing to grant me an immediate interview, she passed along information for two other organizations she felt would help me with my research. After hanging up the phone, I contacted both organizations and had the article written by the end of the day.

Suddenly, I had an enormous amount of energy. It felt incredible to cross items off of my to-do list and best of all, the rest of the week was as amazingly productive as my synchronistic day: I finished my professional portfolio and delivered it to the graduate office, interviewed 15 sources in time to write all six articles, and completed the editing work. With a little extra time on my hands after completing my work, I also found time to write a query about the wildcat sanctuary.

It’s been several months since the day I walked away from my computer in frustration. Since then I have started to walk away regularly just to recharge my creative batteries. Not only am I more productive and relaxed when I am working, I have realized that when I least expect it, things will fall into place exactly as they should.