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NaNoWinner2013
Exercise #579

Exercise #579: Self Knowledge
Posted 7/18/14

This one is hard. Are you up to the challenge?

Turn off the power in your house. That’s right, all of it.

Find the spot in your home that is closest to the center and sit there. Bring a chair if you must, but sitting on the floor would be better.

Close your eyes.

Try to let yourself just be in the center of your space for a few moments.

Open your awareness to the world around you. What do you hear, now that the everyday hum of your house is gone? What do you feel? When your thoughts intrude, what are they about? Do you think of the “stuff” you should be doing, or are you agonizing over how “wrong” the house sounds?

Try to remain in the quiet for five minutes. Then turn the power back on and repeat this exercise.

Afterward, reflect on what you did. Did you learn anything about yourself? For your SUB, show us the events of your exercise, or give us a commentary on what you experienced.

You may show a character tackling this exercise instead.

Critiquers, you might choose to answer these questions for critiquing the piece:
     * Did you catch any spelling errors or other standard proofreading items? If so, note them for the author.
     * Could you relate to this? If so, how?

Word limit: 1200
Please use the subject line:
             SUB: Exercise #579/yourname

Why this is a self-knowledge exercise: Removing external distractions - and there are many, even when we think it’s “quiet” - can give us time to reflect on internal needs. Sometimes the little voice inside cannot be heard through the bustle of life.

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