Month: January 2021

Mindful Making

“A creative life is an amplified life, a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting life. “ Elizabeth Gilbert

We live smack dab in the center of the creative process, which is continually taking place both inside and outside our bodies. The cells in our bodies are constantly dying off and recreating, 100,000,000 new red blood cells are being formed every minute, and skin cells are replaced every 39 days. 

Creativity is essential for life, but not just in the physical sense either. Research suggests that neglecting the creative process may be perilous to wellbeing. Creativity has been linked with feeling that we are more fully alive and also as a way of helping with anxiety.

It’s can be easy to conclude that we’re just not the creative type, however. We associate creativity with traditional art—painting, writing, sculpting. But art is about self-expression, and we all express ourselves in endless ways. I like to think of art as mindful making. Being creative is part of being human, adding beauty to everyday life. The canvas is one medium; the dining room table is another.

If being creative improves our wellbeing, then it might be helpful to find ways to foster creativity. 

  1. For those talented in traditional arts, it may mean grabbing the courage to start again. Or taking a class to improve. Or just carving out time to practice. This past year has inspired many to do this.
  1. For those of us who don’t have those talents, there are countless ways of “making” art. We just need to remember that creating is our nature. 
  • Instead of mindlessly cooking, we can be aware that we are “making” dinner. Art is about generating something that did not previously exist. Seemingly unrelated items at the grocery store get transformed into something that gives nourishment for people we love, even if it is just ourselves.
  • When we write a note or send a thoughtful text, words come together to create encouragement, hope, or compassion. We can express love to someone that has never been expressed in that way before.
  • I have recently taken up knitting again. To see something come together right before my eyes has been so rewarding. An added benefit: it is also totally relaxing.
  • Tending to a garden is a beautiful expression of art. Michael Pollan suggests that a gardener is able to “turn prose into something nearer poetry.”
  • We can get outside with our phones and take a picture of something beautiful. Or strange. Or surprising. Take it from different angles. Edit in different tones. Try black and white. 

Whether we sow a seed or sew a stitch, we can create something new in big and small ways. Let’s not get so familiar with our days that we miss the opportunity to take the tedious and makes it vibrant. We only need to be awake and mindful of all the things we already do that are creative acts. 

It’s really who we are.

The Words That Find You

One of the reasons I love picking a Word of the Year is that it sets us up to get more of it. It’s the principle behind the Law of Attraction–the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on.

In a recent post, I wrote how “magic” became my word this year. Everywhere I turn, that word shows up. It still surprises me, and I hope that continues because it seems our words like to be honored like that.

The above quote, by author Neil Gaiman, jumped at me the other day and I’m sharing it, not just because it has the word “magic” in it, but because it is a great thought. It is my wish for everyone this year. I am going to write about good madness, fine books, being with people who think you’re wonderful, and creativity because each of those helps us feel alive.

But for now, Im just going to leave this here, and trust there is encouragement for this day. I hope that–TODAY–you surprise yourself!

Narrative of Strength

Yesterday, I was out walking, struggling with so many things. Why is it that when we struggle, we often rehearse our weaknesses?

A small voice inside whispered: Instead of another narrative of weakness, can we craft one of strength? Ha. I feel nothing like that right now. “Rehearse the strength you’ve seen in your life,” it whispered.

***It can take a minute to shift a story. ***

I remembered back to when I moved here. Just me and my Pontiac Sunbird with everything I owned. I had gotten accepted into the doctoral program at the University of Washington as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. So off I went.

I knew no one and nothing about this city that my mom claimed was the farthest point I could possibly go excepting Alaska and Hawaii. I moved into an apartment that I later learned was owned by a slumlord. When the people upstairs took a shower, it dripped into my living room. I had bug bites over my entire body. I found someone looking for a roommate and moved out, losing rent and deposit. Not a great start. 

I had this perfect NJ accent, having lived only 20 miles outside New York City my whole life. When I walked into the Public Speaking class that I would be teaching, I was met by half the football team, each one deciding my accent was fair game. I was intimidated. I worked hard to get rid of that accent so I could be taken seriously. Eventually, they had to get up and give speeches, and the power was mine. Never underestimate a 100 pound gal from New Jersey.

I eventually began to feel more at home here. I bought a house, opened a mortgage company and became a real estate agent at a great company in the Greenlake area. 

Always competitive, I ran a 10K with some of my fellow realtors. Who would get the fastest time? Again, never underestimate. I ran that thing in 38 minutes. I registered for a marathon and ran it in 3:38. I wanted to become an aerobics instructor, and I did that too. Classes of up to 60 students, a couple times a day. The guy who hired me became my husband. 

After marriage, I birthed five children and suffered three pretty rough miscarriages. All in eight years. Our second child had special needs, and one very dark night, when he was 6 months old, the doctor told us he would “never be any good.” Exact words. We hunted down anyone who had a more positive perspective, and although there were still some extremely difficult days, he made much progress. He definitely has special needs, but he walks and talks and jokes and brings us much joy. 

Over the next years, I became involved in the school my kids would attend. I taught classes, acted as vice principal, and poured my life into building relationships with fellow teachers and students. Oh, and possibly one of my greatest feats: getting myself and five children out the door by 7:15, ready for the day at school. Lunches (most often) in hand.
 
I am a social introvert, loving people but absolutely needing  time alone. Yeah, that pretty much never happened. Some days, when I got to take a shower, it was hard convincing myself to turn the water off. Just one more hour…

Then there is the repetitiveness that comes with raising children. Answering their why’s, reminding them to brush their teeth, pick up their toys, be nice to their siblings. All while trying to shape them into kind and compassionate humans.

I am still married. Anyone who has been married past the honeymoon knows what a feat that is. Choosing day after day to let love win–a combination of resilience, humor, and commitment that can only come by flexing those muscles one day at a time, over and over again. Some days I was pretty sore.

Ok, those are a couple things I came up with. It’s long, but maybe someone needs to read it. When others share their stories, I can more easily find my own. Many will have narratives showing far greater strength.

It’s obvious by watching the news that there is more than one way to spin a story. We have to take control of the way our story is being told. If we can’t do it on our own, maybe we get together with someone who loves us and knows us well. 

I recently sat with a friend and showed her a tattoo that my daughter had given me. It is a small lightening bolt on my ankle. She commented that it was a reminder that I am a superhero.  Well, that’s not exactly what I thought when I was getting it. But, thank you friend, for seeing something I didn’t. It helps my story.

We’ve lived a lot of days; let’s find the good, the true, and the wonderful parts of them. And since we are the ones telling the story, let’s create a narrative of strength. Let’s write a story where we are a superhero, no matter how many twists and turns that story has to take. 

***Would we want to read a story told any other way?***

Word of the Year

Last week I posted some thoughts for the New Year entitled “A Little Bit Magic.” Since then, I have run into the word “magic” so many times. 

Going into a new year, I have often picked a word that I wanted as a focal point. Summarizing an idea in one word allows us to have an overarching theme that can help us frame life in a new way. So, this year I think the word “magic” chose me. Magic is about finding moments of awe and wonder. It is about seeing the enchantment inside ordinary things, in the little bits of life. 

It is said that beauty is not hard to find, it is only easy to miss.

I think it’s the same for magic. The older we get, the more we can see patterns. We can anticipate what comes next, leaving no room for surprise. “Oh, pretty soon the buds will appear,” we say with a familiarity that will surely miss the magic inside. Knowledge never negates magic. Awe and wonder hold hands with knowledge, bringing delight to all that’s revealed. 

Maybe others would benefit from choosing a word for this year. My words for other years have included: listen, embrace, release, and resilience. I didn’t always keep the focus to the end, but I was able to begin each year with a new perspective. I did keep the word “listen” in mind throughout that year.  It was an important word for me.

So this year, it’s magic.  I believe that God is always leading us away from the mundane. Not the tasks themselves, but the way we view them. Every time we can grasp meaning and see beauty in what’s around us, our lives have a chance to expand and be more rewarding. Words can open up worlds. Anyone else have a word waiting to frame this new year? If not, maybe it’s time for a little magic.

Gotta be honest here. Day one didn’t start out that well. Constant rain and grey skies made it hard to see magic. But one day doesn’t define me. Today is new and there is magic to be found. I start over again.

“Magic is always pushing and drawing and making things out of nothing. Everything is made out of magic, leaves and trees, flowers and birds, badgers and foxes and squirrels and people. So it must be all around us. In this garden – in all the places.” ― Frances Hodgson Burnett,The Secret Garden