Thursday, February 5, 2009

Facing the First Blank Page ...

I'm blogging! Finally got a "round tuit" ... (those rascals are hard to come by!) Actually, my car is in the shop today, so my run-around list of errands is on hold and here I am. The laundry is started; the cats are occupied elsewhere for once, rather than lying on my keyboard; the dog is sleeping rather than barking and chasing the poor birds away from the feeders; hub is working from home today and jammin' with his headphones on in his office .... soooooo .... here goes.

One of my many hopes for change in this new year is to carve more time for creativity. I've found that if I go too long without indulging in that side of myself I start to feel empty and slow. Creating, changing, improving, renewing - all those things fill and energize me - so I hope to do more of it. Maybe I'll use this space from time to time for doing that. The older I get, it seems the more urgently my muses whisper ...








"There is a vitality, a life-force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. "~~~~~~Martha Graham











Something else that I'm working on is awareness. Ok, I'm totally and always aware of the big things ... like family and friends and passions and hobbies. But ... I want to notice - to pay closer attention to the little things that give me joy and truly realize that joy while it happens.

I did two chores today that I've done a million times in my life - but it's been a long time since I focused on the pleasure I derive from doing them. So I made the effort today and found that I honestly enjoy folding freshly laundered towels. There is something very satisfying about gathering an armful of warm, fluffy towels ... (I'm very precise about my folding method - thanks, Mom) and it's nice to see a neatly constructed towel tower rising before me and to later stash them at the ready on the shelf. I smiled to know that a loved one will have a little (yes, very little) flash of appreciation when they reach for a clean, sweetsmelling towel - knowing they'll always be there for them.





Ok. Maybe it reads a little like a cheezy country song ... "I Found My Joy, Now I'm A Taa-owl Foldin' Toy" .... Not every chore is such the delight. Yesterday, even when I tried ... I simply couldn't find much to love about cleaning the ceiling fans or the litter box.



But then today was just the right sort of weather - felt very much like spring - for cleaning windows. I love making things sparkle and shine and joy happened for me again ... and it felt good to really notice it. And I carried these little joys with me throughout the rest of my day. And I found it helped with the not-so-joyful stuff. As a side bonus, I got a shot of this sweet little cardinal from my sparkly clean window:









Maybe if I work at this I'll eventually find something pleasurable about cleaning the litter box. Or not.

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