Comments on: Summer - Time to Refill the Creative Well http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/ Weaving Experiences of Transformation Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:32:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Paula http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-11144 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:39:08 +0000 http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-11144 Yes, Jen, like children, our pets - especially cats and dogs - get us outside and outside ourselves. So many things discovered because I had to take the dog out for a walk. Just yesterday, while standing to wait for Duncan to sniff out a new smell, a tiny Myrtle Warbler, in its black and white wings and yellow cap, lit in the sapling just three feet away, gathering seeds. What I might have missed, had I not stopped and stood still in the silence for my dog! Yes, Jen, like children, our pets - especially cats and dogs - get us outside and outside ourselves. So many things discovered because I had to take the dog out for a walk. Just yesterday, while standing to wait for Duncan to sniff out a new smell, a tiny Myrtle Warbler, in its black and white wings and yellow cap, lit in the sapling just three feet away, gathering seeds.

What I might have missed, had I not stopped and stood still in the silence for my dog!

]]> by: Jen http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-10585 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:22:06 +0000 http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-10585 How do I relax? I follow my cat. Seriously. Most of the day I am going a hundred miles and hour, but when Lucille weaves by my feet, it is usually for a reason. (Alright, the reason is usually food.) But when the food is gone, I follow her outside, across the porch, down the steps and into the garden. And everyone knows, once you take a few steps into the garden, it's a whole different world... If not for the cat, how else would I know that my favorite rose has bloomed? Or that the red tailed hawks have a new eyas? Or that when the gartner snake turns his head just the right way, his eyes catch the sun and glow orange? At some point, I look up and find the cat gone. And all of the noise in my head has gone with her. No wonder cats were once considered gods... How do I relax? I follow my cat.

Seriously.

Most of the day I am going a hundred miles and hour, but when Lucille weaves by my feet, it is usually for a reason. (Alright, the reason is usually food.) But when the food is gone, I follow her outside, across the porch, down the steps and into the garden.

And everyone knows, once you take a few steps into the garden, it’s a whole different world… If not for the cat, how else would I know that my favorite rose has bloomed? Or that the red tailed hawks have a new eyas? Or that when the gartner snake turns his head just the right way, his eyes catch the sun and glow orange?

At some point, I look up and find the cat gone. And all of the noise in my head has gone with her.

No wonder cats were once considered gods…

]]> by: Paula http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-9497 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:23:15 +0000 http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-9497 @Liz - yes, yours is a perfect example of how that constant accessibility can be earth-shattering and life-changing. Much better to choose your moments than have them forced on you. And how wonderful, that in spite of the life change, you are still able to do the work that is most important to you--that feeds your soul. @Marsha - having gone through almost the exact same experience last fall with the sale of my parents' home, I know how draining that can be physically and emotionally. Glad to know that you gave yourself permission to rehabilitate before turning to your other work. And don't you just love it when being kind to yourself brings other rewards! @Liz - yes, yours is a perfect example of how that constant accessibility can be earth-shattering and life-changing. Much better to choose your moments than have them forced on you. And how wonderful, that in spite of the life change, you are still able to do the work that is most important to you–that feeds your soul.

@Marsha - having gone through almost the exact same experience last fall with the sale of my parents’ home, I know how draining that can be physically and emotionally. Glad to know that you gave yourself permission to rehabilitate before turning to your other work. And don’t you just love it when being kind to yourself brings other rewards!

]]> by: marsha mcgregor http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-9448 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:08:37 +0000 http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-9448 Great advice from Paula AND Liz! Just today I slept longer than I planned and decided it was actually what I needed. I rocked on the front porch and stared into space and drank tea and watched the hummingbirds, and instead of berating myself, I decided I was taking care of myself. See, we finally sold my parents' house of 43 years, and Monday was the auction of the contents. A sort of funeral, but also a sort of christening for the wonderful new owners, who were there and bought several lovely things from the house, which will remain there. It was a huge transition, for which I have been preparing for an entire year. Yesterday was more work there and more cleanup. Today, I was supposed to begin a freelance job, and set the alarm for 7 am. But I felt like lead, and had to go back to sleep for awhile. Here's the beautiful irony. After I spent the entire morning recharging and enjoying the gorgeous weather, I worked on the front porch for two and a half hours, and got a huge amount accomplished, more even than I had hoped to accomplish by waking at 7. I also enjoyed every minute of it. Victory! Paula, I also appreciated and admire your Mother's Day entry. Blessings-- Marsha Great advice from Paula AND Liz! Just today I slept longer than I planned and decided it was actually what I needed. I rocked on the front porch and stared into space and drank tea and watched the hummingbirds, and instead of berating myself, I decided I was taking care of myself. See, we finally sold my parents’ house of 43 years, and Monday was the auction of the contents. A sort of funeral, but also a sort of christening for the wonderful new owners, who were there and bought several lovely things from the house, which will remain there. It was a huge transition, for which I have been preparing for an entire year. Yesterday was more work there and more cleanup. Today, I was supposed to begin a freelance job, and set the alarm for 7 am. But I felt like lead, and had to go back to sleep for awhile.
Here’s the beautiful irony. After I spent the entire morning recharging and enjoying the gorgeous weather, I worked on the front porch for two and a half hours, and got a huge amount accomplished, more even than I had hoped to accomplish by waking at 7. I also enjoyed every minute of it. Victory!
Paula, I also appreciated and admire your Mother’s Day entry.
Blessings–
Marsha

]]> by: Liz http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-9424 Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:21:42 +0000 http://weavingthedream.com/blog/2008/summer-time-to-refill-the-creative-well/#comment-9424 A few short weeks ago I wouldn't have had any kind of answer to your question, Paula. Rest? Relax? Give my creativity a summer moment? Impossible! I would have snorted and ran to the computer to get cracking on the book that a deadline looms for rapidly. But, oops! Something got in the way! I got sick. Really sick. Stop and smell the roses sick. Give your creativity a summer moment sick. See, if you don't do it for yourself, your body will take care of it for you as mine did. Everything has changed for me since May 11th. Most of the changes are, 'well I'll never be able to do that again!' All except one aspect of my life. It turns out that my sickness works very well with my creativity--writing! It is work and therefore strengthening my heart but not stressful like the accounting which damaged it. I can't lift anything except my fingers over the keyboard. I can't work full time, but I can work when I want. I can't drive to work to assignments that were sometimes 40 miles away one way but I can travel to my patio with my Alpha Smart, a note pad, or the phone to do an interview. I don't recommend my way of accomplishing what Paula suggests. It's much too scary. But I do recommend you try it her way--and often! Do the do's! A few short weeks ago I wouldn’t have had any kind of answer to your question, Paula. Rest? Relax? Give my creativity a summer moment? Impossible! I would have snorted and ran to the computer to get cracking on the book that a deadline looms for rapidly. But, oops! Something got in the way! I got sick. Really sick. Stop and smell the roses sick. Give your creativity a summer moment sick.

See, if you don’t do it for yourself, your body will take care of it for you as mine did. Everything has changed for me since May 11th. Most of the changes are, ‘well I’ll never be able to do that again!’ All except one aspect of my life. It turns out that my sickness works very well with my creativity–writing! It is work and therefore strengthening my heart but not stressful like the accounting which damaged it. I can’t lift anything except my fingers over the keyboard. I can’t work full time, but I can work when I want. I can’t drive to work to assignments that were sometimes 40 miles away one way but I can travel to my patio with my Alpha Smart, a note pad, or the phone to do an interview.

I don’t recommend my way of accomplishing what Paula suggests. It’s much too scary. But I do recommend you try it her way–and often!

Do the do’s!

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