From William Blake:
He who binds to himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy.
He who kisses the joy as it flies,
Lives in eternity’s sunrise.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Read the above poem and repeat.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Another foot of snow fell in the night. This early morning photograph reminds me of the quote by Leonardo da Vinci: Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Be in the moment and enjoy what is.
Chilly waves lapping
this morning at my sneakers
happy to be there.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Be present . . . then share it.
In my last blog “New Thoughts on Self-Promotion” I used a metaphor of the great heron, who waits patiently for its meal to swim by. The stately white bird stands seemingly immobile at low tide, then at just the right moment snatches up breakfast. Have you wondered how it knows exactly when and where to strike?
As a bird living in the wild, the heron naturally is keenly aware. It uses its body to guide its actions, not necessarily its brain. I believe the heron uses all of its senses — sight, sound, smell, touch, taste as well as instinct. Many humans have lost their internal navigation system.
Like a baby, the heron uses its senses to explore, discover and master the world around it. Sadly it is our sensory perceptions that are systematically trained out of us by family, schooling and society, as we mature.
To reclaim this power for yourself, take a moment, right now to sharpen your senses. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, then:
1. Be fully aware of how your body feels, notice the temperature of the air on your skin.
2. If the air had a taste, what would it taste like?
3. Feel your breathing, is it shallow or deep? No judgement, just observation. Is your heart fluttering or calm?
4. What do you hear? Can you stretch your hearing to receive the farthest most sound?
5. Smell the odors around you, an animal’s sense of smell can save its life.
6. What do you feel like doing at this very minute? Will you give yourself permission to do it?
7. Over the next week, invite yourself to simply observe a situation in your life, with all your senses. Then let your observations help you intrinsically know when to act (or not). Let your body, not your mind, direct you.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Learn how to be body smart, reconnect with your senses. Then just like the heron, trust your instincts.
Today I’m thinking about the regal white heron. If you live near the water you have witnessed the majestic and stately grace of the heron waiting patiently at low tide, watching in the stillness for its breakfast to swim by. No ripple appears around the heron’s legs, it seems immobile. When the right fish ventures too close the heron rapidly thrusts its beak into the shallow water without hesitation and immediately snatches up its meal.
In today’s world of power marketing and social media we are bombarded with what I call the “all about me” mentality. I’m shifting my focus and learning from the great white heron. It draws no attention to itself, as it stands, stock still keenly observing. Its sustenance comes to it, not the other way around.
As an artist and writer I am guilty of the “See Me!” method of promoting my work for the return of dinner on my family’s table. Currently I heed the great white heron’s wise counsel. I am standing still.
Creativity and wellness message for today: Be patient, silently observe, then strike with precision at just the right moment.