Author Archives: adairheitmann

Finding Beauty

Posted on by
Reply

Today is the Summer Solstice and I’m gearing up for my summer schedule. My work and personal responsibilities increase during the hot, languid days so I’m learning how to balance it all season by season.

This Spring, for a variety of reasons, most of our lush yard got out of hand. We currently can’t keep up with it! My summer mantra is “Finding Beauty.” I’m going to see the orange tiger lily and not the weeds. I’m going to write and not prune.

I’m giving myself permission to not have the prettiest yard on the street. I want to have fun this summer, spend happy times with my family and friends, and not spend all my spare time completing chores on our property.

After Labor Day I’ll let you know how I did. As usual I take a break from writing this Creativity and Wellness blog over the summer. If you want to stay in touch, come to my writing seminar Create a Writer’s Platform at the Darien Library on August 9. Or read my posts about writing and creating a writer’s website on the Fairfield Writer’s Blog. Or chill out, sip a cool libation and wiggle your toes in soothing water. Until September, enjoy your times of warmth and relaxation.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Choose the fullness of beauty.

Poetry in Motion

Posted on by
Reply

It doesn’t have to be

the blue iris, it could be

weeds in a vacant lot, or a few

small stones; just

pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try

to make them elaborate, this isn’t

a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which

another voice may speak.

~ Mary Oliver

Creativity and wellness message for today: Be open to silence.

Be Ready for Surprises

Posted on by
Reply

I spent Saturday with my 89-year-old mom celebrating her birthday. At a local flower show we saw competitions for complex garden/art related theme exhibits and witnessed the Best in Show simple floral blossoms in minimalistic containers. My mom introduced me to several of her friends, we watched bees working in their hive, and enjoyed the day. Before leaving to bring her back to her apartment I stopped in the Women’s room. What greeted me was a most unexpected surprise.

A glass vase full of calla lilies sat poised on a countertop in front of a mirror, next to a dramatic frosted window. For me, this was the best display of the entire flower show! Taking out my new smartphone (a Mother’s Day gift from my sweet husband) I quickly snapped this picture. It’s a beauty I must say.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Be prepared, use your artistic eye to spot creative expression wherever it pops up.

P.S. I’m in the process of changing my website and this blog’s layout will change with it. I’m excited about the upcoming new way of communicating with you. Stay tuned!

Opposing Forces

Posted on by
Reply

“The self — that artificial construct that separates us from others — cannot sustain itself in the prolonged absence of conflict or strife. It needs other people and situations with which it can be in opposition, because to be in opposition to something strengthens our sense of self.” Eckhart Tolle

Creativity and wellness message for today: Use adversarial energies to exercise the muscles of balance.

Dance as if No One is Watching

Posted on by
Reply

Many Easters ago, my Springtime ritual was to arrive at a secluded beach alone, before sunrise, and dance my heart out. The corners of my lips still curl up as I remember those times of freedom and abandon. Now, being older, sometimes wiser, and definitely with less available time to myself, I gain inspiration from the anonymous quote, “Dance as if No One is Watching.”

Even if I am in a crowd of people, or busy with a very public job, I can imagine my bare toes in the wet sand, my fluid body twisting and swaying as the scents of sea and salt fill my pores.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Dance on, no matter what.

The Between Place

Posted on by
2

It’s that time of year, when I see winter’s harsh reality on bare branches one day and dogwood blossoms plumping out the next. Lime green leaves poke at odd angles from dry, yellow spindly stalks of hydrangea.

I’m reminded of human nature too. Until today I forgot the beauty of the between place, that point when the old still exits, the new not yet formed. So often we focus on completion, now nature reminds me to be steady with the process.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Claim patience, let yourself grow and evolve at a natural rate.

Letting Light In

Posted on by
Reply

In this process we call life, not everyday is rosy. Sometimes, like today for me, you just have to slog through and do the best you can. This quote by Frederick Buechner so poignantly names the feeling I am having today.

“The room is quiet. You’re not feeling tired enough to sleep or energetic enough to go out. For the moment there is nowhere else you would rather go, no one else you’d rather be. You feel at home in your body. You feel at peace in your mind. For no particular reason you close your eyes. Sometimes it is only when you happen to taste a crumb of it that you dimly realize what it is that you’re so hungry for you can hardly bear it.”

Creativity and wellness message for today: Name the feeling you are having, it’s important to not shy away from it. Sometimes naming comes from a poem or quote and the feeling cracks open and light comes in.

The Happiness Factor

Posted on by
Reply

Recently I lost a contest. Mind you, I’ve been submitting to contests for years. You’d think I had thick skin by now. However, I am human. Rejection still stings. By not placing in the afore-mentioned writing competition I felt a few moments of woe, but soon realized how generally happy I am writing. I wrote about the aftermath of rejection in the Fairfield Writer’s Blog but I’d like to put a different spin on it here.

When I think of tending a flower or vegetable garden my heart expands. I connect to Nature. The natural world is full of promise and patience. Seeds hidden under the soil sprout. Food for the family table is plucked at perfect ripeness to be enjoyed by all. My writing is like this. The act of writing, the art of writing, and the publishing of writing make me happy. Just like a farmer who wins a prize at a state fair for their robust chile peppers, I’m happy to be a writer and happy to write.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Take pleasure in what makes you happy, even if the world does not give you a prize for it.

Turning Thoughts Into Action

Posted on by
Reply

This morning I lit a candle and wrote in my journal for the first time in a long time. Felt good claiming sacred space for my inner process. Afterwards, an intuitive thought crashed into my awareness. Today became the day I cleared off my writing desk. I have two desks in my writer’s studio, one for the computer and one for writing longhand. My longhand desk has been covered with organized piles of good and important stuff for two years.

Bringing up a big, brown garbage bag I began to edit and toss. Rhythmic music, drumbeat and chimes accompanied my clear-out energy and I made time to follow-through on many of the items that needed tending. I feel like a yoke has been lifted from my shoulders. Oddly it’s connecting me to my artist self again.

I’m reminded of Twyla Tharp’s quote, “Art is the only way to run away without leaving home.” I feel like I ran away today, clearing out actually immersed me in my art all day!

Creativity and wellness message for today: Turn your intuitive thought into action and see where it takes you.