MLK Remembered

When I was kid I attended a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  During the evening event, crammed into a small suburban school auditorium, with standing room only, I had no idea who I was listening to. My parents brought me, we were in the balcony, and what I remember is being hot and tired. There were no other children, and I couldn’t even see the speaker.

Yet, there was a palpable energy in the room that I felt. I sensed that something important was happening. My antennae picked up a greatness about the event and the speaker. The vibe in the air was as charged as an electrical storm; it was potent and exciting. Only decades later did I learn the impact of the man and his importance on earth.

Creativity and wellness message for today: “The quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This I Believe

It’s a snowy day here in New England. I have a few minutes before I head out to work so I’ll share some cross-pollination news with you. Have you heard of the international project, “This I Believe?” It started in the 1950’s and since then has engaged people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. I’ve listened to it on NPR for years, and I’ve often heard my quiet voice say I’d like to do that. Last summer I got my wish in a very creative way.

An invitation came from the Unitarian Church in Westport, for speakers to contribute to a lay-led service filled with closely held convictions and jazz. How could I resist? I spent several weeks and many drafts creating my essay. My writing critique group inspired me to strip away the layers until I got to the heart of my message, and members of the church committee guided me to clarity. The results were that I gave back to my community; met new, bright and articulate people; modelled for my critique group that writing can take a long time; and after a few minor changes, I submitted my essay to “This I Believe.”

Five months later I heard back from the international project — my essay “I Believe in Dreams” was selected for the permanent collection.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Just do it. Show up for your life and the rest will follow.

Cross-pollination in 2010

Many years ago when I was the Founder and Director of The Center for Creativity & Wellness, I had a collaborative professional relationship with three psychotherapists. Each of our strengths was different. One of us was a therapist who specialized in substance abuse and recovery, another was a marriage and family therapist who also led Sacred Circle Dances, and a third was a therapist who was a practitioner of shamanism. I provided the healing arts of natural energy healing, dreamwork, and meditation for my clients and students. Our professional foursome published quarterly newsletters, and mailed them as a unit to our clients. We called our multi-pronged marketing “cross-pollination.”

We embraced our diversity and that attitude served us, and our clients well. Potential clients were introduced, in very user-friendly ways, to new modalities of healing and personal development. This collaborative approach can be applied in any business or walk of life.

Creativity and wellness message for today: For 2010 plant the seed of fertilization in your life. Veer off the beaten path, touch down on a new flower, try something that you haven’t done before. Let the vitality of cross-pollination be your guide.

Drawn to the Sea

Yesterday was one of those out-of-kilter-days. Do you ever have them? I woke up with my list of personal and professional responsibilities all lined up, in a neat row, in my head. The only problem was that I couldn’t get my motor started. Yes, I was up very early, yes I was completing my appointed tasks but I felt like I was moving through molasses. My order! My list! Everything was out-of-order and my energy was draining. Finally I let it all go and went for a walk to the beach.

Inhaling salty cold air, and watching the play of light against dry, stark white snow and damp sandy shore, made me pause. I was in the right place at the right time. My lists could wait, what I needed was to have my soul replenished.

Interestingly enough when I returned from my revitalizing walk, I had an e-mail calling me into work for a meeting. That was perfect! That was why my day felt so off-balance, I unknowingly needed to allow space for the unexpected.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Be drawn to where your soul needs to rest.

Wholeness

Working, shopping, wrapping, baking, visiting — many of the qualities of this season pale in comparison to the brightness of finding pockets of peace. I’m finding moments that can’t be contrived or planned, seconds of beauty and wonder that just take my breath away.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Wholeness is an inner connection to the sacred. Be aware, allow your own experience of the divine to surprise you with its presence.

Cookin’ Down the Bird

Yesterday was the day to recoup from the festivities of Thanksgiving, and the day to tackle making turkey soup. As a former vegetarian, making turkey soup from scratch, is a challenge. I didn’t grow up watching a mother or grandmother make it, and I have only seen one person, one time — my husband, make it. Well, yesterday was my day.

You see, I don’t even cook the Thanksgiving turkey, my husband does. He has a tried and true Joy of Cooking recipe that he follows, deliciously, to the letter. It’s my job to make the gravy . . . Southern style. So, by the time yesterday came, I had only enjoyed the turkey feast, I hadn’t gotten my hands dirty by being involved with the bird.

After cutting off the meat, (a mean feat I must say) I dropped the bird into hot water. After the bird cooked down a few hours, I scraped the remaining meat off and out of every imaginable cavity that darn bird had. I must admit I felt accomplished. As I was dealing, so intimately with the bird, I began to think about the creative benefits of reusing and recycling. As artists and writers we often think we have to reinvent the wheel every time we step up to the proverbial plate. Cookin’ down the bird taught me the value of working with something that others might consider already done.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Reuse something that you have created, in a new way. Dust off that old manuscript and select a chapter as the basis for an article. Reach your hands deeper into the dark places of something you thought was complete and fully cooked, see what you find to expand in a different way. Recycle, rethink, and enjoy the rich broth of your renewed creativity.

Equilibrium and Wellness

After a night of torrential rain, the sun is now shining outside my office window. I’m feeling warm inside too. This season of gratitude and plenty makes me smile. Yet during this time of the year, we often over-do, on just about everything. My thoughts for you today are simple, stay true to your own energy.  Stage some time to replenish your Self.

Wishing you and yours a Thanksgiving filled with good connections, and of course the feast of your choice.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Balance.

Exude Attitude

Today is election day here in my hometown. Did everyone vote? I’ve been spending the day catching up on office work, squaring away my 2010 speaking schedule, updating member lists for the writing critique group that I lead, basically tieing up professional loose ends. We all need days like today, to get the little stuff done. While my fingers have feverishly roamed the keyboard, I’ve been thinking about attitude.

As I listen to my computer’s hard drive rattle and the distant roll of cars on the street, I envision the fabulous people I know, who have attitude. Attitude comes in the form of self-confidence and esteem. I have been lucky to know people who exude pride in themselves. Others may think they are too old, too young, too fat, too thin, too funny, not funny enough, too, too, too. Those judgements never effect the joy of life that oozes out of their pores. Those people, who delight in being their authentic selves, are my mentors.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Radiate your own definition of wellness. Wellness is the free-flowing state of your mind, body and spirit. Let your own posture of creativity glow. Only you can define who you are . . . exude attitude!

Who Wants to Play?

Many years ago, my intuitive friend Linda used to decide what to wear by asking her clothes closet, “Who wants to play?” Linda, a grounded and professional social worker, professor and humor specialist, was convinced that her rainbow of blouses, pants and scarfs responded.

Yesterday, I was unexpectedly asked to submit a piece of art to a university at which I had been a faculty member. Their Gallery of Contemporary Art is having a 20th year anniversary. Speaking with the gallery director brought back fond memories of working together and of academia and university teaching.

As a creative individual, I have morphed myself into many satisfying careers since teaching art and design. My walls are still adorned with artworks of my own creation and others are in international collections. My professional life now is as a writer, educator, designer and community liaison, not as a fine artist. As I descended the basement stairs, thinking about which artwork, in storage, I might choose, spanning my long and varied career, I decided to use Linda’s technique, “Who wants to play?” To my delight a small gem-like piece chimed up. I would have walked right past it, on the way to where I store my larger artworks. I imagine that many hours later I would still be looking for the right piece to represent me and my career. I would have tripped over my own ego in the selection process.

The voice of my diminutive, glimmering artwork was so happy, and frankly so immediate and clear, I could not ignore it. As I lifted my painting, the texture of nubby canvas reminded me that life can be easy, playful, intuitive. I smiled all the way up the stairs.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Let your intuitive voice guide you. Ask an inanimate object, “Who wants to play?” and see where your life leads you. Who knows, you may be pleasantly surprised.

What Makes Your Heart Sing?

Today, I was going about my work when some unexpected accolades came my way. Receiving them changed the color of my mood from taupe to lilac. Instead of brushing off the compliments, I let them sink in. In our busy schedules it may seem unrealistic to do that, but it only took a minute. In the time that I inhaled and exhaled, I let myself fully appreciate being appreciated. In that moment my heart sang. With a soft, inner smile curving at the edges of my lips, I returned to my responsibilities refreshed, and creatively energized.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Be open to receiving something that makes your heart sing. Let it come to you . . . and when it does, fully enjoy it.