I like to think of myself as a creative person, and I am, but I am creative in spurts. I will catch a creative wave, ride it, and then get back to everyday living. Take decoupage for example. I saw a magazine photo of a reader's use of the magazines nature photos to decoupage a bench and I was hooked! I quickly found some trashed chairs and stools and I used the technique on them to create colorful and functional furniture. After 4 or 5 projects, I was done with that!
I have always wanted to make a living utilizing creative energies but I never found anything that would translate into marketable objects. After all, who would pay a sustainable wage for a magazine-plastered chair?
And then on November 13, 2015 I went to a retreat with two of my soul friends. I had found the retreat and the description suited all of us. We would receive one hour of spiritual direction within this program. No where did it say it was to be a silent retreat (or we probably would not have signed up). But it was wonderful because I sat in a recliner for hours journaling. In the midst of it I watched the day unfold from my third floor window and was inspired by the sights. I even wrote a poem that the spiritual director encouraged me to submit to a spiritual journal for possible publication.
At the close of the retreat we had a prayer service themed around the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving. We could each pick a piece of folded paper with a quote written inside about giving thanks. Mine said, "Gratitude turns what we have into enough, and more. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. - Melody Beatty." I didn't know who she was so I asked the group and no one could say more than "she writes books."
So after the retreat I used that paper as a bookmark and eventually looked her up. I did know of her work after all.. The description of her book Journey to the Heart, written in 1996, really hit home. It said that this book "guides us on a sacred journey as we learn to expand our creativity, embrace our powers and open our hearts."
"Sign me up," I thought. So I ordered this book on-line along with some other books. I read the other books first but then came across the bookmark with her quote once again. It was time to open the book, right now. I say right now because with creativity you must strike while the iron is hot. If you have an idea, you must act on it, or at least write down the idea; otherwise it floats away and good luck catching it!
Because the book is set up with daily meditations I thought that I could comment on some of the entries. Comment is probably not the right word because what I mean is that I would use her thoughts as a writing prompt. It would help me tell my story. And so I began on page 360 with a meditation for December 18. That will be posted on another day. But for now, let's reflect on creativity.
Reflective questions:
1. Do you remember any of the creative ideas you had? Is it because you wrote them down or you kept them alive inside?
2. Are any of your ideas worth pursuing?
3. Is it in your best interest to let the ideas go for now? Can you do so without regret?
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