I have a new favorite book. I was spending my lunch hour at the library a couple of weeks ago and the colorful cover of this book called to me. From the very first words that I read, I knew it was something I NEEDED to take home.
If you have ever attended one of my creativity classes for educators, you know that I encourage everyone to find and enjoy their 'inner artist'. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that at least HALF of all the participants over the years have stated that they "didn't have an artistic bone in their body" in the beginning of the class. But then I ask who likes to decorate their homes, or who pays attention to the way they present themselves. I ask them to raise their hands if they sew, or sing, or send real hand written letters, or cook, or design the church bulletin, or take pictures, or make scrapbooks. I ask who is a gardener, or an enthusiastic reader of books when their is a child on their lap. I ask who likes to doodle with sidewalk chalk, or paper mache, or finger paint with the children in their classrooms. Within the first few minutes of the class, the folks in the room begin to realize that they DO have creative, artistic 'bones in their bodies'!
So naturally, when I read the introduction to this book, it was like I had found a kindred spirit. The pages are filled with inspiration and reminders of how to LIVE ARTFULLY and "create the life you imagine'. WOW!! YES YES YES!!!!
The first few lines on the inside cover explain that "Living Artfully is expressing who you are through the moments that you create. Living Artfully reminds us to explore and experience life with more heart, meaning, purpose, and joy. It asks us to imagine, to dream big, to believe in ourselves, to celebrate the people in our lives, make each day count, dance when the spirit moves us, laugh out loud, and let our voices be heard".
As I read the book, I realized that we aren't going to get more hours (or minutes) in a day. I realized that there will never be "extra time" to pursue creative adventures. But we all have the power to incorporate creativity and meaning into the things that must be done. If the towels must be folded, why not do it WITH someone and use that time to visit? If the cooking MUST be done, why not make a little extra to share with someone? And why not play some great music while you're accomplishing the things off your to-do list? Why cook alone, when you can spend that time WITH the people you are about to feed? Get the idea? Instead of being swallowed up by the drudgery, make a conscious effort to ENJOY the task! Oh ... this is life changing.
I have been griping and whining for ages about not having any time to enjoy being with my family. It's no secret that the transition from full time mom to full time employee hasn't gone smoothly for me. I have had a difficult time keeping up with the 'old me' while dealing with the demands and requirements that come with working from 8:00 - 5:00 Monday through Friday. The house is messier, the yard is overgrown, the laundry stacks up, I don't visit with the goats and chickens any more, I hardly ever write or take pictures or sew or crochet, I don't entertain or visit with people any more. And as ugly as it is to admit, I have resented every 'lost' minute of it.
I have heard over and over that I need to "let those things go", but that is a lot like telling someone who is depressed to "snap out of it". I just CAN'T. I MISS the things that used to be such a huge part of my identity.
Yes, I can delegate. And I do. But it's not the same. It's just not. (But maybe that's ok too?)
I realize that I'm not the only one struggling to figure out how to handle the changes that life brings. Family dynamics change, babies are born, children grow up and move out, parents get older. Businesses 'let people go', people 'let you down', our health begins to fade, friends drift apart, marriages crumble, disaster strikes, loved ones die. Whether it is a change that we chose or one that slams in to us, change is always around the bend. And that is stressfull.
Clara busted me a few weeks ago. She accused me of 'never having anyone come over and never doing anything fun'. At first, I argued with her about taking the family to the beach for a week, and inviting her friends to come play the week before that. But after she stormed out of the room, her words sank deep. She was right. I hadn't decorated the house in ages, I hadn't invited anyone to come for a meal or to enjoy the river, I hadn't played with her. I was in a whirlwind of getting up at a ridiculously early hour to clean the house, scurrying to get ready for work, working, rushing home from work to make supper, trying to get a few things done after that, and flopping in to bed as early as I could. My weekends were packed with housework, errands, grocery shopping, and preparing meals for the week ahead. Are you noticing that there is NOT A LOT OF FUN on the to-do list?
So I invited some people to come to dinner. And I did NOT spend every second the week before trying to make things 'perfect'. I decided to be at peace with the way the house and the yard looked. Clara and I put together some decorations. Wes helped me get the food ready. Only a few people showed up that evening, but the house was ready and the food was prepared and we had a wonderful evening full of laughter, Kahlua ice cream cake, and watching kids play in the river.
If you have ever attended one of my creativity classes for educators, you know that I encourage everyone to find and enjoy their 'inner artist'. If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that at least HALF of all the participants over the years have stated that they "didn't have an artistic bone in their body" in the beginning of the class. But then I ask who likes to decorate their homes, or who pays attention to the way they present themselves. I ask them to raise their hands if they sew, or sing, or send real hand written letters, or cook, or design the church bulletin, or take pictures, or make scrapbooks. I ask who is a gardener, or an enthusiastic reader of books when their is a child on their lap. I ask who likes to doodle with sidewalk chalk, or paper mache, or finger paint with the children in their classrooms. Within the first few minutes of the class, the folks in the room begin to realize that they DO have creative, artistic 'bones in their bodies'!
So naturally, when I read the introduction to this book, it was like I had found a kindred spirit. The pages are filled with inspiration and reminders of how to LIVE ARTFULLY and "create the life you imagine'. WOW!! YES YES YES!!!!
The first few lines on the inside cover explain that "Living Artfully is expressing who you are through the moments that you create. Living Artfully reminds us to explore and experience life with more heart, meaning, purpose, and joy. It asks us to imagine, to dream big, to believe in ourselves, to celebrate the people in our lives, make each day count, dance when the spirit moves us, laugh out loud, and let our voices be heard".
As I read the book, I realized that we aren't going to get more hours (or minutes) in a day. I realized that there will never be "extra time" to pursue creative adventures. But we all have the power to incorporate creativity and meaning into the things that must be done. If the towels must be folded, why not do it WITH someone and use that time to visit? If the cooking MUST be done, why not make a little extra to share with someone? And why not play some great music while you're accomplishing the things off your to-do list? Why cook alone, when you can spend that time WITH the people you are about to feed? Get the idea? Instead of being swallowed up by the drudgery, make a conscious effort to ENJOY the task! Oh ... this is life changing.
I have been griping and whining for ages about not having any time to enjoy being with my family. It's no secret that the transition from full time mom to full time employee hasn't gone smoothly for me. I have had a difficult time keeping up with the 'old me' while dealing with the demands and requirements that come with working from 8:00 - 5:00 Monday through Friday. The house is messier, the yard is overgrown, the laundry stacks up, I don't visit with the goats and chickens any more, I hardly ever write or take pictures or sew or crochet, I don't entertain or visit with people any more. And as ugly as it is to admit, I have resented every 'lost' minute of it.
I have heard over and over that I need to "let those things go", but that is a lot like telling someone who is depressed to "snap out of it". I just CAN'T. I MISS the things that used to be such a huge part of my identity.
Yes, I can delegate. And I do. But it's not the same. It's just not. (But maybe that's ok too?)
I realize that I'm not the only one struggling to figure out how to handle the changes that life brings. Family dynamics change, babies are born, children grow up and move out, parents get older. Businesses 'let people go', people 'let you down', our health begins to fade, friends drift apart, marriages crumble, disaster strikes, loved ones die. Whether it is a change that we chose or one that slams in to us, change is always around the bend. And that is stressfull.
Clara busted me a few weeks ago. She accused me of 'never having anyone come over and never doing anything fun'. At first, I argued with her about taking the family to the beach for a week, and inviting her friends to come play the week before that. But after she stormed out of the room, her words sank deep. She was right. I hadn't decorated the house in ages, I hadn't invited anyone to come for a meal or to enjoy the river, I hadn't played with her. I was in a whirlwind of getting up at a ridiculously early hour to clean the house, scurrying to get ready for work, working, rushing home from work to make supper, trying to get a few things done after that, and flopping in to bed as early as I could. My weekends were packed with housework, errands, grocery shopping, and preparing meals for the week ahead. Are you noticing that there is NOT A LOT OF FUN on the to-do list?
So I invited some people to come to dinner. And I did NOT spend every second the week before trying to make things 'perfect'. I decided to be at peace with the way the house and the yard looked. Clara and I put together some decorations. Wes helped me get the food ready. Only a few people showed up that evening, but the house was ready and the food was prepared and we had a wonderful evening full of laughter, Kahlua ice cream cake, and watching kids play in the river.
This weekend, I had a list of about a million things to get done. But when we woke up on Saturday morning, it was clear that we needed to spend a little time together. Not like the kind of 'quality time' you get when you're cleaning out a storage building or scraping and painting window sills. More like the kind you get when you hop in the car with a few bucks in your pocket and no particular destination. While Wes and I spent the day driving "West", we listened to music, we talked, we heard each other, we shared a Slim Jim, we appreciated how gorgeous Autumn in Virginia is, we got a little lost, we laughed a lot, we donated some cash to a volunteer fire department having a 'boot drive' in the middle of nowhere.
On the way home, we stopped in Churchville. What a sweet little town! How did I not know about Churchville before this weekend? We found a fun shop full of antiques and amazing things on the front porch, and there was dried bittersweet EVERYWHERE! My heart skipped a little. It made me so happy just to see it. It's gorgeous, it's decorative, it flooded me with many happy memories. There were huge branches, medium branches, and small bunches ... anywhere from $5.00 to $15.00. I found a 'small bunch' in a basket near the front door that was wrapped in festive orange paper and tied with a ribbon. We walked inside to purchase it, and we met the shopkeeper. This lady was FUN! She had a genuine grin, a hearty laugh, and she looked so HAPPY! When I told her how thrilled I was to see all that amazing bittersweet, she showed me a picture on her phone of her sweetheart who had literally climbed to the top of a mountain and scrambled into the tops of trees to harvest this stuff for her to sell. After we visited for little bit, she GAVE that bundle of bittersweet to me!!! A GIFT! She didn't even know me, and she obviously is in the business to sell things, but she GAVE it to me because she said it made her happy to see someone so excited about it and she had plenty. I practically skipped out of there after thanking her and giving her a hug over the counter top. WOW!!! This lady lives ARTFULLY!!!
There are a few messages that I hope you'll take from this morning's post. Here they are, in no particular order:
1) If you go to Churchville, visit the "Out On A Limb" shop. I guarantee you'll leave with a smile, a story, and a treasure or two.
2) If you are struggling with the mundane work that has to be done and feel like you're drowning in it, STOP YOURSELF from fighting it and find a way to have FUN while you're getting things done. (Also ... be honest about what you can let go of. Realize that we can't do EVERYTHING.)
3) GO FIND THIS BOOK: Living Artfully by Sandra Magsamen. READ IT.
4) Do something you enjoy, for the sheer joy of doing it, without worrying about if it will 'turn out right'. BONUS POINTS if you can allow yourself to relax and enjoy the experience instead of stressing out about what you 'should be doing' instead!!
5) Long car rides in Autumn are restorative. But fill up your gas tank in Harrisonburg instead of Monterey!! Wow!! It's almost $4.00 a gallon there for the 'cheap' stuff.
6) Read the message below. Ask yourself how you're going to apply it to your day. Enjoy the results.