Just taking a short break to wish everyone a Happy Summer Solstice!
The LIT ladies are deep into life the past week-one of us enjoying a family vacay, the other two madly writing and trying to meet deadlines! Balance! Isnt that what we all strive for?
Just asked the question, "how do you nurture your creativity?"(on an author loop this was directed toward writers) but it does affect us all.
To me one of the most difficult tasks I had to learn (and I'm still learning) is the importance of balance between work and "play"--
When I was growing up, summer was a time of "total play"--whether that meant a long visit to my grandmother's house or a family road trip. It meant a seemingly endless stretch of long, hot days, dotted with lemonade stands, catching turtles in the creek, playing out a blanket in the backyard coloring for hours with that great box of crayons, or catching lightning bugs in your pj's--
The whole world was a wonderland of discovery and delight. Where you could play outside for hours in the heat and you didn't mind that you smelled like fresh mown grass and kid sweat;))
Now I'm grown, but the sense of discovery and wonder exists still as it always has if we take the time to notice-ask me if I believe in fairies, I'll tell you yes. Ask me if I believe that stones carry an aura of history and I'll say yes.
There is so much to learn, so much to discover. Despite being grown up-I hope you have a moment of absolute "kid" inside you today and that it makes you smile to know that that "inquisitive , creative child " is alive and well, still discovering the world and all its wonder!
From all of us here at the manor~Happy Solstice!
Amanda, Charlotte, Kristi & Lord C.M.
4 comments:
I have two years of imbalance between work and play. I've been very writing career drive, and while I've had succes and have been pleased it's left me feeling a bit worn out! On top of writing, I have a stressful job which has long hours, so there's been that.
I'm one of the three of us writing like mad to meet a deadline. Last night I just broke down bawling; Still seems like so much more to write, and I was tired. I went to bed and things look fresher this morning! lol!
I have decided to reset balance this summer and these things are at the very minimum what I'm going to do this summer:
Play in the pool with the kid
Read for pleasure
Have two themed dinner parties, one a Mediterrian(I might have mispelt that!) the other a middle Eastern. I used to this all the time, and my family as well as friends have commented that they missed them.
Get out my blender and make so awesome drinks for hubby and I for sipping on while floating around on air matresses in the pool (I'll share the recipes)
Sit out on the deck at night and watch the fireflies and listen to the crickets. I want to slow down and actually reflect on waht I've accomplished, not what I still want to do.
Thought provoking post Amanda. I feel better!!!!
I think sometimes when you're an adult you take everything waaaayyyy too seriously. I know I do.
I look at my daughters many times and completely envy their freedom and lack of responsibility.
They wake up in the morning and everyday is another adventure full of possibilities. To them, everything is just FUN! Ugh, I miss being a kid.
Me, on the other hand, I wake up and think of bills, how tired I am, laundry, shopping, cleaning, work. Then I'll write. I sacrifice sleep to do it. I love it, but sometimes I think I'm just wasting my time.
Then of course there are the stupid and rather trivial things that adults worry about...sigh.
And the worst part is that life is so short. I remember the fun times I had with my mom when I was growing up. Although they weren't that often, she definitely had her moments where she'd be on the swing with is at the park eating icecream and just being a kid right along with us.
In my eyes, she was the best mom ever!
I want my kids to have those memories of me as well. I want them to say, "You know, my mom was the best."
I'll never ave those care free days again, but, this summer I am dedicating one day a week to not worrying about anything. It doesn't matter what day it is. I'm taking my kids to the beach or the zoo, heck, I don't care if it's just to the sprinklers at the park. And you better believe I'll be jumping in there with them!!
I feel better already just thinking about it, lol!
The weird part about the balance/imbalance thing is when we're balanced then the energy to go the distance is there!and its a positive energy vs stagnating have to do this because..." energy.
Geez, maybe we need to have a pro come to the manor and talk to us about yoga or wyas to stay in balance?
as in everything the first step is realizing that there is imbalance, right?
from there its finding what you knowing what we rekindle your passion and lets face it deadlines and to-do lists dont always act as primo motivators;)
Sometimes its watching a kid play in that water, or thoroughly enjoy an ice cream, or maybe drive with all your windows down and let the air blow your perfect hairstyle to hell ;)
I think it happens to everyone. Next time you walk down a busy street, check out the faces of the people you walk past.
I feel the same Barb, I want my kids to have fond memories of me having as much fun with my writing as I do sitting around a campfire on a fall night making s'mores.
Creativity requires imagination-seeing the possibilities, understanding or at least being aware of the balances, I think.
Few of us ever achieve perfect balance for very long-LOL but perhaps its in the trying that it really counts.
And you're right Barb, life is short--in the big picture of things...that came home to me this weekend with news of a 21 yr old young man , a friend of my oldest son, who died in a house fire on Thursday night.
Probably a big reason I'm waxing philosophic today.
My parents were good people, but not plugged into their kids Im afraid. I knew early on that if I ever had kids, I would be plugged in. I loved every trying moment when they were growing up and I while I love my kids, I truly like the adults they have /and are becoming.
I've come to realize, in a way Charlotte like you did when you just decided to go to bed and look at things fresh--that you know when things are not balanced and you need to take that time to regroup-reconnect-replenish.
and probably , most important, do it with a sense of gratitude
Amanda M
Happy mid-summer! You've definitely put me into the mood for blender drinks and some hanging out with the family! Thanks! :)
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