doodling

doodling doesn't sound that bad when you say it but it looks awful to type.  i can't really call it drawing.  the definition of doodling (according to thesaurus.com) is drawing casually and that is exactly what i like doing.  as soon as there are rules and constrictions i become uninterested.  but if i titled this post "drawing casually" i would be laughing at myself too hard to actually type anything.  

i have, on occasion, attempted to draw [seriously].  usually based on a picture or another drawing.  and while it is a little less relaxing, it is all the more rewarding.  whether you want to call it doodling or drawing, i don't believe this particular form of expression discriminates.  everybody doodles!  however different techniques work for different people.  for example: did you know that singing opens up the tension that you hold in your diaphragm?  so belting out a tune when you're stressed can also be therapeutic.

this got me thinking about vices.  the web defines a vice as a moral weakness.  i'm not entirely sure how to define "moral weakness" but to my knowledge a vice is another form of stress relief.  i have heard many times we all have vices... and i guess that's true.  i have just completed 7 days smoke-free.  it has been challenging because i do not know of anything that is equally as satisfying.  and some days it doesn't seem worth the trouble.  but i know in the long run it is worth it.  it's just all too easy to lose sight of that.  i vaguely remember what it's like to not want a cigarette.  a couple of years ago a regular at my old work said to me "i didn't know you smoked, that's so 80s." we had a chuckle but he seriously questioned why the hell i would be smoking.  it's not something i ever thought i would do, in fact i grew up absolutely hating it.  so i must say for anyone who is just starting to smoke, or is able to pick it up and leave it with mere will power, leave it.  it might seem easy for you now, but it won't always be.  it will only become more difficult.

this is the song that is keeping me on track ...