We recently took a road trip to Naramata to visit friends and join in a birthday celebration. The trip had been planned for weeks, so the details were well organized: ferry schedules consulted, route mapped out, and hotels booked. So imagine my surprise when an unexpected windfall cropped up.

On the day of the trip, I dropped a note on Facebook and Twitter to let folks know I’d be away then packed up my computer thinking I might sneak in some writing time. Lynn, our intrepid house and pet minder, arrived and we were soon on the road with the Cave Master at the wheel.

Shortly after we boarded the ninety-minute ferry to Horseshoe Bay

I went up to the passenger deck, took a quick tour of the gift shop, visited the loo, and grabbed a tea. Then I headed back down to the car deck, settled into the passenger sea,t and pulled my computer into my lap.

My desktop lit the screen and I hesitated. My fingers hovered uncertainly over the keyboard. I’m not accustomed to going directly to Word and calling up my WIP. It’s ridiculous how happy that made me, and for the first time in eons, I just wrote.

With no Internet, there was no pit stop at Facebook or Twitter. No need to answer emails or catch up on reading blogs. As an added bonus, there were no weeds to taunt me, no meals to cook, no dust bunnies playing hide and seek . . . I didn’t even have to drive. With nothing else I had to do and nowhere else I had to be, I was free to simply write.

The No-Internet Windfall

The unexpected windfall came in the form of an “ah ha” moment—the rare kind that makes you stop and take note. Guilt-free writing time is what I strive for each day. It’s why I take care of my email, Facebook and Twitter first; I thought I’d been clearing out the head space I needed to write. But writing on the ferry made me realize my routine wasn’t working.

It also made me realize this “guilt” I feel is entirely of my own making. It has become an anchor and I need to cut the line! I’m going to work on changing my mindset to make my writing time guilt-free. I’m sure it’s easier said than done, but I’m motivated now. I’m so much happier and more productive when guilt isn’t riding on my shoulder.