Perspective

I had a rough day.  Without going into too much detail, my children have a lot of challenges and I am constantly advocating on their behalf, trying to get them the help and resources they require.  I don’t claim to be a perfect parent.  I make a lot of mistakes.  I definitely yell too much and I sometimes say the wrong thing but I try really hard.  I want my kids to be happy and successful.  I want them to have options when they grow up and I am always trying to keep my eye on the big picture where they are concerned.  So when anybody even hints that the challenges my kids face and the behaviours they sometimes exhibit are my fault, it cuts me to the core.  I think every parent feels inadequate at one time or another so to have another person judge me or my parenting abilities just brings out all my insecurities.

I was thinking about all of this on the way home from work today.  It was a gorgeous, sunny, warm spring day, and I couldn’t see it, couldn’t enjoy it.  Comments made during a phone conversation with a person whom I have never even met face to face were eating away at me and I kept replaying her words over and over in my mind.

After driving for a while, some things became clear.  I finally realized that I cannot control my children’s behaviour or my husband’s or anybody else’s.  I can’t control what people say about me or think about me.  At the end of the day, I can only control my own thoughts and my own behaviour and if I can sleep at night knowing that I have done the best that I can do for my kids, then what difference does it make what anybody else thinks? 

The Artist’s Way

I have to admit that I am having some difficulty producing art.  I didn’t think it was going to be easy… I truly didn’t.  There are just so many obstacles to overcome.  I am having a lot of trouble finding the time to work on all of the pieces I have started.  I need help but I know this is something I will have to work out on my own.

On Saturday afternoon, I visited the bookstore and found this book.  It’s called The Complete Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.  It’s a trilogy.  Over the past three decades Cameron wrote three books on creativity and they are all found within this one volume.  I feel like maybe I’m the only person in the world who hasn’t read this book.  So far I have only read the introduction but I feel hopeful that it might help me with the artistic  journey.  Isn’t it a gorgeous book?  I didn’t want to crack the binding.  Even the paper is translucent, delicate, beautiful.  I am committing to working through The Artist’s Way and doing my best to complete the exercises therein.  If I find it to be interesting or helpful, I will certainly share my thoughts.

Project 365

“There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy.” — Ralph H. Blum

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Do you want to see other examples of Project 365? Head on over to The Mom Creative blog for Project Life Tuesday.

Valentine’s Day

Our Valentine’s Day was all about cinnamon toast, secret messages, pink tulips, strawberry cake and playing in the snow; so nice that it fell on a Sunday this year.

Nights in Rodanthe

We all look for guideposts in life.  When there are no easy answers, we look for something … anything to help us figure out what to do.  We solicit opinions from other people, read books and ruminate endlessly, all in an attempt to avoid making mistakes.  I would like to suggest that these solutions are actually counterintuitive.

What if figuring out your path in life was more about listening to your own intuition and following your hunches than weighing all the pros and cons?

What if being open to serendipity and coincidence could help you realize your dreams?

When I was eighteen years old, I met a boy at a bar.  I’m afraid there isn’t much inspirational about that fact but I invited him to a pub on campus the following night because I really wanted to see him again.  The very next day I went downtown with a girlfriend to do some shopping.  While we were waiting for the bus, I was telling my friend all about the boy I met the night before.  She asked me if he was cute but I couldn’t answer her because he was standing right behind her smiling at me.  He was catching the same city bus.  That was the first coincidence in a long string of coincidences that kept bringing us together unexpectedly.  In September of 2010, we will celebrate 20 years of marriage.

Confession Time:  I have an overwhelming gut feeling that the movie, Nights in Rodanthe, is one of my guideposts.  The first time I saw the movie, a couple of years ago, I had no idea that I wanted to be an artist, but I left the theatre with a very strong impression that I needed to visit Rodanthe.  Although I looked into the possibility of renting a vacation home there, I didn’t follow through on that plan.

I watched the movie again tonight.  It was on TV and I couldn’t find anything else I wanted to watch.  Almost immediately, I noticed that overwhelming feeling again.  My intuition is telling me to go to Rodanthe.  Last time I saw the movie, I had no inkling that I wanted to create art, and still the movie affected me greatly.  This time I almost fell out of my chair at the sight of the amazing artist studio at the very top of the Serendipity House.  Also, the main character in the film, is a mom, who rediscovers her passion for crafting beautiful boxes from driftwood.  She was so busy being a wife and mother that she forgot about that part of herself but rediscovers it as she builds a new life.  Definitely some parallels there.

Although I am a person who struggles to always be in control, I am remaining open to the possibility that the Universe will guide me if I trust my own intuition and let go of fear.  In the Mondo Beyondo class they teach that coincidence is, “…the conspiracy of a Universe determined to surprise and bless you.”

I am going to start paying attention to the coincidences in my life.

Project 365 Week Four

“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.” — Cynthia Ozick

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Do you want to see other examples of Project 365? Head on over to The Mom Creative blog for Project Life Tuesday.

I *Heart* Seth Godin

Seth Godin’s new book was released today.  It hasn’t arrived at our library yet but when it does, I will be first to get it because I’ve had a hold on that book for months.

If I could sit down and talk to anyone in the world over coffee, I would have to choose Seth Godin and I’m not the only one.  Seth Godin writes the most popular marketing blog on the web, is the author of 10 bestselling books and was named "the Ultimate Entrepreneur for the Information Age" by Business Week.  Seth’s complete bio can be found here.

Seth is one of those original thinkers who always seems to be ahead of the pack with his inspiring ideas.

Recently, while driving home after work, I caught a podcast interview with Seth Godin on CBC radio.  It was so interesting, I hardly remember the drive home.  I watched his TED talks while at home so as not to endanger other drivers.

“My definition of art contains three elements:

1. Art is made by a human being.
2. Art is created to have an impact, to change someone else.
3. Art is a gift. You can sell the souvenir, the canvas, the recording... but the idea itself is free, and the generosity is a critical part of making art.

By my definition, most art has nothing to do with oil paint or marble. Art is what we're doing when we do our best work.” ~Seth Godin

Are you creating art?  Why not?