#20: Doodle Inside the Box
Practice some patterns to pass the time.
Instructions
Take some time to notice patterns in your surroundings—textile or otherwise.
Draw small, simple shapes and fill those with patterns.
If you get stuck, look up some new ones.
Doodle these off-camera during your meetings—you’ll look like you’re taking smart notes.
School Suuuuuuuucks
My nephew hates school. He’s not totally wrong. School, to a large extent, sucks. I come from a family of educators, have worked in teaching and learning for most of my career, and will argue passionately for public education. It is also tremendously boring—a good preparation for many jobs including many pointless and lengthy meetings.
I remember being in school and staring at the analog clock placed directly above the chalkboard (a truly bonehead design choice), trying my hardest to will the minute hand forward. One thing that brought relief was drawing boxes on the edge of my notepaper to represent 5 minute increments, and then filling those in when the clock moved forward. Oh, the days before phones.
I like the method of small shapes colored in because it reduces the anxiety of an open piece of paper. Turns out there’s a whole “system” called Zentangle. Of course, you can buy sets and there’s an app and you can even get certified in it, because this is America? I have no first-hand knowledge so I can’t rag on it or brag about it, though this “Zentangle is a Scam” thread is pretty funny. There’s plenty of knock-off videos from people offering their interpretations.
Point is—if it works for you, go on with your bad self. If you have another way of doodling that feels better, vaya con Dios. So much of our culture forces us into a sense that our artmaking needs to look and function a certain way. Similarly, we’re told that our lives have to be a certain way, and to have a certain meaning. The writer Allie Brosh has an insanely funny and touching book called Solutions and Other Problems that nails it:
“There is no need to be frightened. Yes, an invisible stranger just told you that life is pointless, but much like this story, life doesn’t need a point. I mean, it can have one if you want. Go ahead—pick one. Whatever you want. Count all the rocks. Get faster at singing. Be as nice as possible. Grow 500 pumpkins and put them in a pile. But there’s nothing that requires life to have a point.”
I find this both deeply terrifying and tremendously freeing. I don’t think this implies a nihilistic sense that relieves us of responsibly trying to strive for justice and equity for all humans (and/or all beings, depending on your belief structure). We are all utterly, cosmically insignificant—but not meaningless. And we don’t need to adhere to some cultural/economic model that defines us by material accumulation or an insanely precarious life path. To paraphrase Dan Siegel, “we can spend our lives competing to get into the best school, so that we can get into the best job, to get into the best neighborhood, and eventually into the best cemetery.”
So live your life. Fill the boxes of time you have with things that bring you nourishment and connection, don’t cause much harm, and makes it easier for others to do the same. As Rhonda V. Mcgee wrote: "calmly, clearly, and with love, we do what we can, and then let go and let be."
And maybe call your Senator.
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