A very personal look at creativity and creation

I was thinking about an artist friend of mine who is out there every day putting herself on the line to promote her work and the work of others. Her efforts inspire me.

Then I was thinking about my own small efforts to create. I write almost every day and love to garden when I can.

I remember my daughter telling me, when she had been married a few years, that she was in awe of the way I would come home from work every night, when she was growing up, and go right into the kitchen to prepare the evening meal. She remembered the meals were varied and delicious. She wrote down many of the dishes I had prepared, things I don’t even think about any more as they were family fare and I live alone now just cooking for myself. She saw that as amazing.

Her words brought to mind the memory of creating those meals and how it kept me sane to know I would be using my creative nature to feed my family. I didn’t know in conscious words and thoughts then. I was just taking pleasure in doing something I enjoyed.

I sometimes longed for the days I had used paint and pencils to create. I never made time for that any more. What I didn’t recognize was my medium had changed, not my ability to create.

I reminded her that she creates with her décor and the projects she does with her children. She includes her children in decorating their rooms and allows changes to happen often. Her home is full of little creative touches. She also does very well in the kitchen. She just doesn’t enjoy cooking quite as much as I did.

The point is, we all create in some way and it makes us whole. I am suggesting you look at what gives you joy and creates joy in someone else today. Even if you don’t know it you are creating something. Recognize it – enjoy it – allow yourself to be all that you are – and have fun doing it.

You are an artist and a creator in some way. Look inside and embrace that part of you.

So go out there and create today. Create a wonderful meal for your family. Create a spot of color in your neighborhood by planting a flower. Tell a story – sing a song. Create a smile on someone’s face by giving them one of yours.

You are perfect, exactly as you are.

Gratitude and the Coming Holidays

I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. All of us, no matter what our circumstances, have reasons to be grateful.

With all the chaos happening in the world today there is a lot of worry and concern, especially about financial matters. We can choose to focus our thoughts and energy on the fear and the ‘news’, or we can consciously choose to think about what we have in our lives to be grateful for.

You may think that it is necessary to focus your thoughts on: ‘how to get out of this mess?’ or ‘what can I do to keep my family safe?’ when, in reality, all you truly have to do is be the love that you are and pay attention to the opportunities that present themselves. And they are presenting every day.

Most of us are so set on following the path we’ve chosen that we miss the quite lovely side roads as we go zooming past. This can be true even for some of us who have chosen a spiritual path. For some reason, the human personality tends to choose the straight path most of the time. Even when we make a major change at some point and take a new direction, we tend to feel the path is now set and, after a while, we forget to look around.

The truth is - - Life is a grand adventure! It’s all in the choices. Don’t most of us have wishes and dreams? Let us, for a moment, be as little children and believe that our dreams can come true. But how can we make our dreams come true, especially the way the world is today?

We can spend some time every day focusing our minds and hearts on being grateful for what is already there. That creates a new energy and like draws like energy. We don’t do the gratitude exercise to get more stuff, but to create the atmosphere of loving gratitude for our own joy. There is a bonus here - - by being the example of our living, loving, God selves for our families and ultimately the world, everything begins to change.

How do you suppose our children have become so intent on how much they can get for Christmas? We can blame television and their friends, but they learn their lessons first at home. When we become less focused on how to get more and more and begin to live in gratitude, our children will imitate do the same. It isn’t what we tell them as much as who we are that forms their ideas and behavior.

So if you want to make a happier, more loving atmosphere this holiday season - - choose loving gratitude, in how you think and behave - - and your family will follow.

I created you a little book as a gift for my family and friends. I liked it so much I’m sharing it with you. It’s called “My Gratitude Journal” and you can see it at www.lulu.com/pennymccoy

I’m wishing you, love and joy this Holiday Season, and all the gratitude your heart can hold. I’m grateful for you, my faithful readers. Many blessings!

Let's Play Pretend

I just finished reading a wonderful article about coming to terms with our fears written by my friend Dawn at http://breathfusion.1hwy.com In it she says “Intend it. Pretend it.”

It brought my attention to the word pretend. When we were children we played “let’s pretend”. We didn’t know it then but it was a very important step in growing up to be who we intended ourselves to be. Then we grew up and thought we had outgrown such a childish thing. Not really . . . If we can intend, we can pretend. It is still a useful tool. Pre tending is something we can do to begin the manifestation of our hearts desires. When we pre tend we feel it, see it, smell it, taste it, know it. To intend is to put it out in the future somewhere but when we pretend we are in it, as if it were happening now.

Anyone who has seen the movie “The Secret” or read any of the many articles and books based on those ideas, knows this process is recommended to manifest our desires. We have had the secret all along.

I am so often reminded that much of what we did as innocent children was exactly right. Many of our, so called, childish games were wonderfully useful tools. So much of the “growing up” process stripped us of our fantasies and imaginings, our sense of wonder. Remember, a great deal of our culture is based on a strict Puritan background. It was dangerous to be a dreamer.

We can let that go now. We can be the imaginative, creative, joyful beings we were created to be. All we have to do is give ourselves permission and do it.

Today I will spend a few moments allowing my imagination to run free and “play pretend” just for the pure joy of it.

Grown Children

We have only one responsibility to our children once they are grown. That is to set an example for them, of living fully and being at peace with ourselves.

Once they are grown they think they know more than we do; so let them. We then go about the business of living our lives based on the wisdom of the things we have learned and are learning now. Remember, when we were their age we thought we knew more than our parents. We may have behaved a little more respectfully. But that was only because it was expected of us. We decided we wouldn’t be as rigid as our parents had been, now look at the result. Oh well, live and learn.

The only way to gain respect from our grown children is to respect ourselves. We may say we do, but we aren’t necessarily behaving as if we do. When we allow our children to take advantage of us and use us as an emotional punching bag we are not showing respect for ourselves. Now remember, I said the only thing we can do for them now is to set an example. Be the person they aspire to be, even if they don’t know it yet.

They will probably become angry at first. Our behavior patterns are changing and they won’t like it. But stick to it! The result is worth it. When we are living rich and full lives and the energy of the love for all that is, radiates from us, they will come looking for the route to such joy. Or maybe they will have to find it some other way. And that’s OK too. They will eventually be drawn back to us because being around us is just too wonderful when we become the loving creative whole persons we are meant to be. We do not need their approval. We do not need their permission. And, if they are conditional in their demands, they do not need our help.

We gave them the best we had when they were growing up. You notice I said “the best we had”. Looking back, we can always say we wish we had done some things differently. At the time, we did the very best we could with the tools at hand.

What are we doing now? We have the time to study and produce. We have the time to do the things we want to do. Think of the time and energy we are spending trying to ‘help the children’. Let them figure out their world on their own, just like we did. Let them make their own mistakes and learn from them. We had to do it for ourselves and so do they.

We can be there to love them, to send out that loving energy that is unconditional. This does not mean show up to bail them out. It means being the love we are meant to be, the universal love energy that connects to all that is. Be all that we are, really be the being we are reading about, the being we know we are, all the time, not just when we have time for ourselves. Don’t tell them what we are doing. Just do it. Don’t explain the changes. Just make them. Have no expectations. Just be!

The love we have for our children radiates out from us when we are at peace. The anxiety and concern and, dare I say guilt, also radiates out and is felt by them. They respond to that with varying degrees of anger and a need to prove themselves capable of making their own decisions and mistakes, which creates a greater need in us to fix things. It is one of those vicious circles that keeps itself going.

So, what do we want for our children . . . and for ourselves? We are all searching for the love that is the God in us and in them. We may not be able to see it in them but it is there. We need to get out of the way so they can get on with it.

There is no greater gift than to show them, by our example, what is possible and to get out of the way so they can find this all out for themselves. It isn’t up to us to save them. Fact is, we can’t, no matter how hard we try or how much we want to, they each (we each) must find our own way.

It’s exciting to think about what that can mean in our lives. Think of the time and energy that is now available to be used in creating, for ourselves, the life we choose. Now we see there is a bit of responsibility there. Are we up for the task? Are we ready to have all that joy in our lives? I think so. How about you?