In the mood

I learned something new today: washing my hands helps me get in the mood to write. Huh. How did I not know this before? As a practicing pagan, I have rituals for everything. Tricks I use to put me in a specific frame of mind, ways of conditioning my mind to trigger a certain set of feelings or behaviours.

When I was a girl my mom took me to a child psychologist, Gloria. I don't recall how old I was, but young enough that Gloria didn't just come out and ask me questions or prompt me to talk about certain events, like you would with an adult. Gloria had a box of hats, and a little game made up around talking about specific things while wearing a certain hat. My favourite hat, in case you're wondering, was a Sherlock Holmes style hat that did not fit my head.

Pick a hat and every time you wear that hat you talk about your dad. The really neat part was when I didn't want to talk about my dad anymore, I took the hat off. That was a rule, and it was totally unbreakable. It created a safe space for me to control a session, while also teaching me about exercising communication skills (that young children have to be taught) and about setting boundaries. When I was in college, I had a homework hat; when I go to the office on weekends and absolutely have to focus on my work and get stuff done, I have a hat for that.

So, I've washed my hands and I'm ready to write. I will forever hold gratitude for Gloria and her silly box of hats.