Are you a creator? I suspect you are, but perhaps you have not realized yet just what you are crafting. Personally I forget that I am sculpting my daily life, my perspectives, and choosing the hues and colors of my life. A weekend workshop was dedicated to taking time to create, to expose our minds to new exercises and people. Why is it then that what my mind drudged up was ancient history? Personally I think yesterdays owned enough real estate in my life the days they existed. Perhaps its time to put flowers on the grave of what went wrong and embrace what was gained from the lessons to make this period of my life what it is…
Renovating #TheTackyBrownHouse has reminded me of just how small changes can make a huge difference in our perspectives. The last week we’ve worked on adding color to rooms that the goals before were simply completion. It reminds me of the difference between arriving and thriving. Personally, I have spent too much of my life sliding into surviving, and this year I’m working on thriving. What colors your perspective? Whose words, what experiences are driving your tour of life today? It’s pouring rain this morning as though God himself is whispering “wash that grime from your past right out of your life.” You see, too often what is past still is present in my mind as nagging that I was not enough or less than I should have been in that situation or experience. One of the things I am reminded as I walk around this old house is that its imperfections are what makes it desireable to me. It’s authentically imperfect. It’s walls have shown us battle scars of a life lived, its wiring has been pulled to rewire a healthier, safer system. As we hired our able electrician I watched as he pulled wires that were freyed and worn and replaced them with new circuits.
What do you need to rewire in your thinking?
This June I am purposefully focused on creating anew how I think about myself and my actions. An encourager naturally, I see the best in people and situations…unless that is…we’re talking about my own. You’d think that I went to the Cruella DeVille school for meanness somedays the expectations I put on myself. As a child I heard the mantra “If you can, you should” and that for too long was an exhaustive task master in my mind. That belief made for an exhaustive life. As a teacher I know that there is joy in being exposed and made aware of something new. The learner oohs and ahhs as they gain awareness of something or an action they had not conceived…but oh how the excitement changes when they risk engaging in the experience of the unknown. The delight in appreciating is one thing…the delight in engaging new learning is another…but when we engage in creating ourselves the new skill, action, or experience….the joy of that changes us forever.
What are you creating anew in your life? Perhaps it’s choosing to try new foods this summer. Who knew that roasted brussel sprouts could be delectable? Perhaps like my friend Cheri, it’s taking on 100 minutes of exercise a day. (she’s shrinking as we speak) Perhaps it’s simply replacing a negative self talk with a kinder, gentler action based reminder. I know that one personally! We can create anew our resolves, our thoughts, or actions on tiny scales and large. Personally I am doing several redo’s of my daily life. I have created anew the way I start the morning routine, choosing to engage creating art first thing in the morning before I even start my day. My mind hears the silence as I sketch, create, or paint and God and I have that time to share. That few minutes each day to create is rocking my world….changing me…as I embrace that which flows out of me, however imperfect it is. You see I love calligraphy, colors, and beauty, so whether its with a camera, a brush, or my hands, engaging that which is before me delights my heart.
A quote by Gail Hyatt has captured my heart
Why do we stick with something so long when we can easily change it ~ Gail Hyatt
This time in my life is about recognizing what my heart desires to “create anew” in my life. Whether it is how my kitchen looks, making time for meaningful moments with friends, daring to risk a small group experience with other artists, or simply trying something new for dinner, this is a season of creating anew in my life. I encourage you to stop and think of it for just a moment. Whether its your wardrobe and how you wear your clothes, choosing to make more time for what you love, what can you consider creating anew…I promise you as you consider it, your heart will speak to you about small things that make such a difference…and if you honor that, the big pictures will slowly become lovelier in your daily existence.
To me, this journey has been one I resisted allowing…but like the washroom…how different things can look the moment I allowed myself to create it anew. Though we had painted it white a few months ago, it just didn’t say what I wanted to say as I prepared for the day, how much more it is when I created it anew in rainwashed blue. The items shopped from our home, but rearranged and changed to serve the purpose they could be in today’s daily life. Perhaps our memories or experiences, old paint or pictures can find a new way to engage beauty in your life…if you take time to reconsider how their presence or purpose can be created anew in your life. Isn’t that the best thing about the gift of a new day….we can choose to start each one creating anew…what will you create in your life today?
* The quote is from Be Your Finest Art, awaken your creative self by Joanne Miller & Dorsey McHugh.
