Seasons

We'd all love to be creative all the time, in every circumstance.  We would love to have creativity overflowing from our fingertips so that everything we touch explodes into the world.  As I sit in my lovely warm house with the temperatures below zero outside and snow laying on the ground, I'm reminded of the seasons.  There are seasons in nature and seasons in our lives.

Our temptation is to be continually "on."  Our technology allows us to connect with the world around us 24/7 but if we let that mindset run our lives, we'll soon be on empty.

One of the things I've learned in life the hard way is that we have inner resources of energy.  When those resources are depleted, everything becomes hard and tiring and wears us down.  Even things we would normally be fine with become chores that we do because we have to, not because we want to.

I've talked in an earlier post about how we can identify activities that will help us build these reserves back up but I'd like to add to those activities (for me music and textile arts) the basics of rest and input.  To give out, you have to have something to give.  To have something to give, you have to take in.

I encourage you to take time to rest (physical, mental and emotional rest) and to take in information that can become fuel for your creative life on purpose.  I realize that those things sometimes feel out of reach, especially if you're a new parent or a parent of a special needs child.  At those times, you feel like you'll never be rested again.  Ever.  I don't want to be dismissive of the demands on your time and energy in this season of life and I don't want to be simplistic.  You need to understand your season and do what you can to take care of yourself.  Or maybe you need to allow others to take care of you.  Sometimes, that's the more difficult move.