It’s the new year and so it is a time of thought and reflection. What do we hope to bring into our lives and what do we hope to let go of in 2019? These are excellent questions to pose at any time, but the new year is the perfect springboard to ponder these ideas because a new year feels like a new beginning, a fresh start, an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and begin again.
This month some of us have chosen to write about quality of lIfe, others about the importance of creativity in our lives, but to me these two ideas are intrinsically linked because we cannot live a truly quality life without allowing creative spirit to guide us.
In this sense, being creative doesn’t mean painting a masterpiece or composing a symphony. We can find ways to bring creativity to everything we do; the way we prepare a meal, decorate our homes, dress ourselves, play with our children or even in the way we walk. Next time you walk somewhere, even from the parking lot to the front door of the grocery store, rather than being focused on “getting there,” notice things. Feel the breeze against your skin, smell the air, look up and notice the cloud formations. Even the most mundane tasks take on life and joy when we approach them with an eye toward creativity. This is both the key to and the end result of mindfulness.
Being “mindful,” is not easy, it requires us to slow down and pay attention which is a tall order in the fast paced, object driven world we live in. But when we do it, even just for a few moments, a whole world of possibility opens to us. We become curious and invested in the world around us, and being curious opens our eyes and our hearts to new possibilities and opportunities.
So tonight when you head to the kitchen to prepare dinner…don’t walk…dance!