Growth Happens at the Tender Edges

After surviving winter and getting our extremities frozen, here comes spring and all her demands for growth. In the past few days I have watched as these buds have grown, and with a little more warmth and refreshing rain, they are now fluffed out, broken free from their sticky casings and so the tree grows. Are we any different? Well, yes!But similarly, our growth also happens at the edges where we face new demands, where we dare to risk and stretch ourselves into new territory, new ideas, new hopes and dreams. And where we get creative. Creativity is a risk, which is why it feels uncomfortable even to the most seasoned writer, artist, florist, or cook. Some might feel excitement, many others experience anxiety at a blank canvas, writers block, stems to cut, and the one and only mind-game that causes all this emotion is; anticipation. The word ‘anticipate’ in the mid 16th Century meant “mention before its proper time”. Hence Shakespeare’s Hamlet to Ophelia, “I will tell you why; so shall my anticipation prevent your discovery…”. And we are not much different when we anticipate being creative. We rob ourselves of discovery by worrying how it will turn out. We hold in mind some high standard (usually an O’Keefe or Kingsolver, in my case) that our efforts need to match-up to. We don’t instead anticipate how it will feel to be in the process, at the edge, discovering something new that will appear in its rightful time with the rightful work and see light of day after the act of creativity has taken place. We “mention before its proper time” to ourselves, in our own mind, what “should” be created, we anticipate and all too often miss the joy of dropping into the rich process of meeting our edge and discovering what can be found there. So I offer you the challenge this weekend as you plant flowers, paint a scene, photograph the blossoming world, cook a meal; can you stay in the process, at that edge, without anticipation of a result? Will you choose to take 15 minutes to simply be creative with whatever appears in front of you and allow yourself the freedom to possibly grow, possibly make a mess, possibly create something beautiful from nothing, and all the while not anticipating the outcome?

I hope you do.

I hope you let yourself expand those edges.

And I hope it brings you joy!

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If you would prefer a curated space and the company of others, please consider joining us on a Tuesday 9amPST/5pmUK for some self-care and creativity rolled into one. 

Dear Body…Zoom gathering. Weekly and Open to all!