Category Archives: Wellness

Starting Again

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Hello everyone, I’m back to writing my creativity and wellness blog, after enjoying a break from it this summer. If you are a regular subscriber to this blog, welcome back! If you are reading it for the first time, I hope you find something you like and visit again. In once-a-weekish short essays I’ll share inspiring quotes, messages, and revelations geared to enrich your thinking and sometimes soothe your soul.

After having a busy summer, filled with deadline-oriented professional responsibilities and a truckload of personal ones, I’m getting my feet planted in this new season. I was reminded over the weekend how easy it is to slip back into old habits, ones that aren’t good for me. My vulnerability is going into an emotional place that I call the wounded victim. It’s that place in which I consider my glass half empty instead of half full. It’s an old familiar place of discomfort and I see that I have more work to do digging myself out of my own pit. Writing this blog entry actually helped me clarify my thoughts and in turn my spirit lifted.

If you find yourself in an old habit that doesn’t serve you, use the metaphor of going back to school as your guide. Start again changing your frame of mind or commit to applying paint brush to canvas, or hands to wet clay. Pick up your unfinished manuscript and start where you left off.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Just like an artist with a sketch pad full of empty pages, let yourself create a new sketch.

Bringing It All Together

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In the Women’s Center of a local college there sat a group of women, similar, yet different. Courageous women who were all breast cancer survivors. My program for them was “Guided Meditation for Insight and Joy.” After we shared a bite to eat and lots of hearty humor we moved into the evening’s event. I gave a brief introduction on meditation then led the group through three customized guided imagery exercises.

The room calmed as the women released stress and anxiety, and the green plants lining the window sill seemed to perk up. Each person tried something new and reaped the benefits. Some comments after the program included: “soothing; relaxing (x4); peaceful; personal; interesting; nice . . . how nice; reflective; time you give yourself.”

I congratulate The Breast Cancer Survival Center which offers unique programs throughout the year. Their founder Susan Santangelo epitomizes living life to the fullest. The women in attendance had endured trauma, fear, and loss as well as recovery, transformation and joy.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Healing is creating an environment in which your mental, physical, spiritual and emotional bodies can integrate.

Blogging and More

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So there I was a few months ago, checking in on my social media networking. I was reviewing my LinkedIn  groups and came across a contest from Bonnie Marcus of VoiceAmerica talk radio. Bonnie was renaming her radio show and asked people to submit ideas. Quickly researching who she was and what she did, I let myself be inspired by her request.

In-the-moment bright ideas are so much fun. Without judgement, I opened my mind, received insight and submitted my idea online to Bonnie. The whole process took maybe 10 minutes and then I went about my business day. A few weeks later I learned that I won in my group! While Bonnie ultimately didn’t use my idea, I had a ball creating it, submitting it and winning a small piece of the pie.

Now you can tune in to “Head Over Heels: Women Mean Business” radio next Tuesday April 6, 2010 to hear me and featured guest Julie Roads, principal at Writing Roads, LLC, plus two other women entrepreneurs talk about the value of increasing your online presence. We will be answering questions and sharing our wisdom on Blogging for Business and More. Who knew?

Creativity and wellness message for today: Take a chance, commit to a contest, have fun with it, then let it go. You never know where your joy may lead.

Things Ain’t Perfect

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* Up early today (as usual)

* Helping others get out the door (as usual)

* Forfeited my morning walk (too wet and cold)

* Was productive in my home office by 8AM. Finished my preparations for the dreamwork program I’m giving tomorrow, wrote my blog entry for Fairfield Writer’s Blog and completed a week’s worth of work, all before I leave to go to my job. Is anyone else exhausted reading this? Then a loved one calls and tells me about his grueling day at work and I hear the phrase “Things Ain’t Perfect.” Somehow those three words soothe my fraying nerves.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Owning the truth can set you free. Without judgement, the simple acknowledgement of a fact is empowering.

I Am the Spark

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the creative spark lately. It all started a few weeks ago with social media. Through Facebook I stumbled on The Art Students League. When I was in high school I commuted every Saturday by train and on foot from CT to NYC to attend Figure Drawing classes at the League. I hadn’t actively thought much about it in decades but my recent connection ignited a line of thought.

Over the years I have been an artist, an educator, a graphic designer, a healer, a writer, a speaker and a consultant or you could say I have used my creative thinking and problem solving to express myself and to help pay the mortgage. As an artist my work gives people a glimmer of a different world. As a teacher I fan the flames of my students expressive pursuits as well as teaching them techniques.

When I was a healer clients and students came to metaphorically sit by my fire. My work in personal and spiritual development warmed and comforted them. It helped many go out and be stronger in their lives and encouraged them to pursue new passions.

Now I’m loving being more of a spark. I write about creativity, dreams, meditation and wellness. I also write about literature and writing and reading. Working at a library I infuse the literary, artistic and cultural experiences of my community. When I give presentations my intention is to light the fuse, not give the answer.

There is something profound and freeing about being the spark. I’m happy in my current role. What are you? Are you the fire tender, do you support the artistic work of others? Or are you the fire itself, blazing the trail? I’d love to hear what you have to say.

This brings me back, full circle to The Art Students League. At the League I learned how to be a keen observer and I was taught the importance of mastering a technique. Those two skills have served me throughout my life and the classes there kindled my desire to be a real artist when I grew up.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Consider which aspect of individual expression you support, for yourself or to help others? Is it the spark, the fire tender, are you the wood itself, the air, the match , or the  . . . and let me know.

Fullness

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Last night the moon was so full and bright I opened my shades and let in the light.

Memories flooded my senses — swimming under the blue glow of a full moon in the waters off Cape Cod; creating and leading Full Moon Meditation Retreats in Connecticut; writing poetry inspired by a full moon’s clarity. Then this morning I received a copy of Catherine Al-Meten’s  article in which she explores the various names and cultural interpretations of the Full Snow Moon, the largest one of the year. I’m enjoying a feeling of coming full circle.

Creativity and wellness message for today: Let the energies of the full moon pull you closer to your true expressive self.

You Can’t Get Lost

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Exactly one year ago today I put my foot in the water and tested the wild world of blogs. I gave myself permission to post entries once-a-weekish. My goal was to inspire you (my readers) to create the life you love as I shared information on how to feel well even in troubled times.

Statistically I’ve written 29 posts in 8 different categories. This year my blog had 1,027 views and readers are now subscribing to it. With this blog I’ve established a venue in which I am accountable to show up, write and publish. That feels good.

My definitions of creativity and wellness, that I originally penned in 1990 hold true today:

* To be creative is to handle life’s challenges from an enlightened perspective. Creativity honors the unknown, it delights in and ignites spontaneous joy.

* Wellness is the experience of balanced, free-flowing energy on many levels — mind, body, emotions, spirit. To feel well is to accept the whole of who you are.

Thank you for tuning in with me on this journey together. Please let me know your comments and thoughts. What would you like to see more of in this blog, less of or stay the same? Thank you to all of my subscribers out there, your feedback lets me know someone is listening.

Take-away message for today: Creativity is like a thread, while you hold it you can’t get lost.

Drawn to the Sea

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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

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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.