What Does 24 Hours of Moderation Look Like

24 Hours of Moderation…

Relaxation, rest and respite.

Welcome Back To Written Mirror

Once more it is Written Mirror to the fore! Welcome back ‘Mirror Heads’ and sincere greetings to the first timers. As always I promise to be gentle…

The Third Instalment in The 24 Series

So far so good! At least I hope so. The theme for Written Mirror’s content this month is 24 Hours. I do think it’s important to add that this is not a permanent theme. Try to enjoy it while it lasts even if it isn’t necessarily the content you’ve grown accustomed to. Without any further ado, let’s jump right in!

24 Hours of Moderation

Relaxation, rest and respite. What does that mean? It means for an entire day I am going to attempt to recharge my mind, body and soul. Drain away tension, think less about deadlines or obsessing over work and really allow my body to get as close to 100% as possible.

Queue Jack Bauer voice, “The following takes place between Sunday and Monday…

07:00 – 08:00

Rise up! If you’re up early for the working side of things, you can at least see to it that you get the most out of the relaxation side too. Early preparation and some cured alkaline water for the win. Quality hydration is high on the list on priorities. The next step may surprise those of you who don’t know me but here it is, FACE MASK! You only get one face so you had better be kind to it! Mask on!

08:00 – 09:00

Now that my face is softer than a newborn’s skin its time to do the same with my feet! Foot spa for the win! Your feet are an underrated part of your body, especially for men. They soak up a lot of the stress we encounter and usually only complain when it’s too late. I undergo a long and luxurious soak. I exfoliate them after so I feel like I’ve just grafted on two new feet. This is a good day already let’s try and make it a great one.

09:00 – 10:00

Green detox smoothie settings and we’re absolutely flying! Seriously with some 90’s dancehall in the background and Frankincense essential oil in the air, I quickly remember why I don’t allow myself to get too comfortable; it’s addictive.

10:00 – 11:00

Normally I’d go for some yoga on a day like this but my feet and face are way too fresh right now. I settle for some meditation alongside some mindful colouring. There is an uncomfortable itch to cut this day short and get writing but I have promised myself the day and as such I will not surrender to the temptation. Hard as it is of course!

11:00 – 12:00

Meditation gives way to more nutrition. Fruit always tastes sweeter this time of the year. It’s like a treat on its own but heaven when mixed together! Fruit salad time! Pineapple, blueberries, galia melon, strawberries and mango!

12:00 – 13:00

In the spirit of being kind to myself I relax my ‘eat well’ habits slightly. I can have something I don’t usually eat regularly. Lunch outside? Mexican perhaps? Could be a burrito for all we know! Plus it’s nice to be outside for a little walk. In days gone by it would’ve been GBK but after what they subjected the blind gentleman with a guide dog in Wimbledon to, it’s a no from me. The South remembers!

13:00 – 14:00 & 14:00 – 15:00

Reading maketh a full man! That’s what the classrooms in Jamaica used to teach. It’s time to pick up something new. My book always has about 5 books on it for me to read so I close my eyes and let one find its way into my hand. Todays read is ‘Backbone’ by Tamara M. Hamil.

15:00 – 16:00 & 16:00 – 17:00

That was heavy stuff. Still I am glad I read it. Now for a film, something I’ve either had on my watch list or something I’ve thought about re-watching recently. This time it’s ‘Infernal Affairs’ (2002) yeah the film that inspired ‘The Departed’ (2006). I have seen the first film in the trilogy a handful of times but I wanted to see if it was still as good as I remembered it to be. No spoilers so there’s no need to worry.

17:00 – 18:00 & 18:00 – 19:00

They packed quite a lot of film into just over 90 minutes. My rating of 9/10 on IMDB does not need any amendment whatsoever. It is still every bit as good as I remember. It’s given me a taste for the second film; I will watch that one on another occasion. It’s now entering the evening time and I will need something substantial to fuel my relaxation day. Curried Goat and white rice to the rescue.

19:00 – 20:00

Food well and truly demolished its time to crack open some red wine to wash it down thanks to ‘The Spot’. Don’t ask me where the spot is; you don’t need to know…

20:00 – 21:00

Most of the day has gone now and I am feeling pretty good. It’s the best I can do without going on vacation. Mindful of having other things to do but I also appreciate that this day is a part of the bigger picture.

Sometimes you have to gear down for more control going uphill. – JM

21:00 – 22:00

These are some of my prime writing hours, I really am thinking hard about having some done now. I am feeling so calm and relaxed that it has to be worth a punt. I know I said I wouldn’t; so I don’t. Distraction or something to occupy me for a bit is necessary. My plants could use watering. It has been warmer lately they must be getting parched. Speaking of warmth and water…

22:00 – 23:00

A nice warm bath with essential oils is up next. I’m going for lavender, lemon and jasmine. It smells great and sitting in it has me feeling like my anxieties are melting away, (at least temporarily). This has inspired me to burn some incense to continue this lovely relaxing fragrance I’m getting.

23:00 – 00:00

If I were a better man I’d be climbing into bed now. However, I’m me, so no chance. I am relaxed but not tired. There’s not much I can do now that won’t be stressful on the body somehow. Again half of my brain is working on a caveat under which I can get some writing done. Meanwhile the other half is reminding me the worst kind of promise to break is one you make to yourself. Okay you win, I won’t write today. You know that means the article has to be done early tomorrow? We’re good just as long as you know that…

00:00 – 01:00

I need to do some more reading. I really want to read my birthday gift, ‘Harry Potter’ and The Cursed Child. However, it will get very intense me looking at form and technique and I’ll once again want to return to writing my own scripts. I’ll settle for some PlayStation 4 time. Lots of games are on sale recently. I could really do with some new ones. However, I have a few I haven’t finished yet so I get to work on some Mad Max…

01:00 – 02:00 & 02:00 – 03:00

Sleep should be calling my name now but it isn’t. More Mad Max! Ha-ha just like Captain America would say, “I can keep this up all day”. I better not…

03:00 – 04:00

I’m practicing a new hobby of mine AKA song writing. I would love to say I’m good at it but I have no earthly clue. It’s soothing and I enjoy thinking about new ways of expressing myself through the gift of writing. That and I’ve attempted pretty much all types of writing and felt like I owed it to myself to at least give this a go.

04:00 – 05:00

Twitter! I should be asleep or encouraging sleep, but I’m on the timeline mixing it up with a combination of people I know and others I’ve merely seen tweets from. The sporting slander is hilarious but the Beyoncé fans are on another level. Tweets, which range from the funny to downright questionable.

05:00 – 06:00

Having decided to escape the timeline for a bit I have shifted my mind to enforcing sleep. Regularly being up as much as 43 hours is mind-boggling. I do not say this as a boast. Actually, I envy people who can just fall asleep with no special ceremony being necessary or an exorcism. You’re the real MVP’s! It seems to be working I feel myself relaxing 15% more but then there’s the sound of a neighbour slamming a door. First of all who slams a door at 05:35? Yeah this isn’t going to happen.

06:00 – 07:00

Literally counting down the seconds until I am cleared to write. I feel like I’ve levelled up somehow and what I write will be better for having this day off. If not and it’s s*@t then blame the break. See I can’t lose! I’m like a LeBron supporter. Ha-ha shout out to King James! As an aside those Lakers super team rumours are hilarious by the way. If that happens I guarantee Adam Silver would be forcefully ousted from his role, by none other than, ‘The Godfather’ one David Stern.

07:00 – 08:00

When it comes to sleep, I’ve realised it’s all about quality not quantity. I got one hour of really pure R.E.M sleep. I know that because I woke up wanting to shout out, “IF YOU SMEEELLLLLLL…”
Side note I wasn’t out that long but I had a strange dream. I’m hoping someone reading this has a translation for me.
In my dream I was asleep but I could see through my closed eyes. I mean perfect vision whilst being asleep and knowing in terms of my dream that I was asleep. What does this mean? Have I unlocked Full Ultra Instinct?

08:00

That’s it the embargo has been lifted and I’m free! So with that being said I get straight to work! This article is one of the results tell me what you think? Also no you can’t see or hear my songs! At least not yet…

A Great Big Thank You…

To everyone who made it this far without skimming, props! Those of you who appreciate the theme and realise that it’s just for a month, thank you for riding with me! For the people who have asked me questions or challenged my content this month, I’m definitely not mad at that. I welcome respectful dialogue. Thanks again to each and every one of you that continue to show love. It means so much to Written Mirror and I.

About Jay Mullings

One of the best ways to get further insight is to simply visit www.writtenmirror.com and really feast your eyes on the journey. While you’re there, be sure to check out the shop. Follow the social media accounts (Twitter & Instagram) too and subscribe to the Written Mirror YouTube channel.