I have a lot of writing to do this week. I have a ten-minute play that's due - that I JUST turned in - today. I have a workshop reading happening on Saturday and I'm trying to get a pilot I've been working on for the better part of three months - really one month if you don't count the outlining phase and putting it away to work on other projects. But this has really gone on longer than I had wanted it to. So this week is a big push. And in order to do that, I need to go find safe, quiet space to work.
I was in production for the TV show I'm working on all of last week - it was our final week. And at the end of the week, we had a raffle for a pot of money that people contributed to. The pot got to over $400. I won it. And after I gave $100 to the PA who organized everything, I decided that that money would be about taking care of myself. I used the first $140 of it on a two-hour massage that was incredibly restorative and amazing. Then I decided I would use the rest of it to fund a week writing at Korean Spas.
I didn't feel like driving into LA yesterday to go to a Korean Spa, so I decided to head to I-Spa in Irvine, my favorite K-Spa in Orange County. I knew that they were open until midnight. So I decided to park myself there for as long as I needed to so I could get things done. The big assignment was to get to work on the rewrite of the play I'm rehearsing on Thursday for a workshop reading on Saturday afternoon. Since production had taken up a lot of my time, I knew that this week was going to be jam packed. I had a lot to do in a short amount of time.
I arrived at 10 AM. Went directly into the shower and did my normal steam, sauna, warm tub, cold tub routine. Then after being clear headed, I went to the TV Room to start work. I took a scene at a time and made hand-written notes in the script. Then I took out the lap top and made those changes in the script. I did this back and forth for a little while, then decided it was time to clear my head again.
This time, I had some company. There were some cute guys showing off and being a little naughty. Nothing came to fruition, but it was a welcome distraction. And since I'm working on a play about someone who uses sex as a distraction, I felt like I was still getting work done.
I took a lunch break around 1 PM. Then got back to work. At this point, I was feeling good that I was accomplishing the work I came to do. Three hours and I'm feeling pretty good. More writing, more distraction and all of a sudden it's 6 PM. Am I done for the day? Eight hours is a great stretch. But every time I thought I might be done, I started thinking about the next scene in the play. And I kept going.
I didn't give myself a time limit. If I had left after lunch, I still would have felt successful. But it was now past six and I was getting hungry. But I pushed through. Then I went and grabbed a little snack in the cafe and worked some more. I was listening to Justin Timberlake's "Mirrors" on repeat and kept on going. I pushed past where I thought I'd finish. I would get a little stuck, go back into the steam room for some "inspiration" and come back out with some new thoughts.
To be honest, the "inspiration" was less salacious than I'm making it out to be. I really just sat and stared at the walls and talked to myself and sung songs to myself. I probably looked crazy, which is why no one really talked to me. But being in the cold tub and letting my body temperature lower and sitting in the ice cold water allowed me to open up. It had a calming, cooling feeling - like I was letting my brain cool off and recover. The warm tub felt like I was being nurtured and I could melt in a warm bath. The misty steam room felt intense and made me intensely think about what I had just written. And the dry sauna made me zone in and focus. Something about the dry heat kept me in there for long periods of time. The steam room was harder to stay in for very long. It was the most distracting. But each area allowed me to work a different part of my consciousness. And it kept anything from being boring for too long.
I didn't leave until 9:30 PM. So almost 12 hours of K-Spa writing time. Here are the stats at the end of the day:
Location: I-Spa in Irvine, CA
Hours: 12
Pages: 65 rewritten
It was a good kick off to the retreat. Now today, I have less time. I'm getting a haircut - which will be its own rejuvenating experience. And then I'm going to head to Natura Spa in K-Town, a smaller place and probably much more quiet. I'm trying to get more of the heavy lifting done. The last 35-40 pages of the play are the parts that need the most rewritten. So page-wise I might not get as much done, but the work will be more intense and dedicated. Not that yesterday was a breeze. I rewrote and changed a good deal. But today's work will be crafting a lot of brand new scenes. I already got that ten-minute play out the door. So I'm already feeling accomplished. That will help in the amount of work I'm able to get done today.
My intention today is to be open to what the Universe bring me.
My intention today is to be steady and patient.
My intention today is to be still.
My intention today is to be hopeful.
My intention today is to accept everything that I am gifted with today.
I am grateful for the money I won.
I am grateful for my restorative two hour massage on Saturday.
I am grateful for twelve hours of steady work.
I am grateful for the new idea that popped into my head and that I emailed my executive about.
I am grateful that the ten minute play is done.
I am grateful that I finished the first 65 pages of the play.
I am grateful that I cut ten pages from the script so far.
I am grateful that I am full of ideas.
I am grateful that inspiration is flowing.
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