Create: July 27 - Aug 2

My first zentangle

There are many reasons for gloom these days. Federal friends have lost jobs. The granddaughter of my mother's neighbor was diagnosed with cancer. A young father with two small children is being deported. Such heaviness can immobilize me. It is easy to forget that life is never just one thing. Life is both ten thousand sorrows and ten thousand joys.

So when my mind is flooded with messages of fear and my heart is heavy with grief, making something with my hands feels healing and important. When my world feels like it is crumbling, creating beauty becomes an act of hope and defiance. This week, I dare you to discover resilience through creativity. Bake a cake. Paint a room. Tend a garden. Snap a photo of a cloud. Sing out loud. Make a baby. Build a birdhouse. Arrange flowers. Construct a sand castle. Write a poem.

Jeff, an artist and my neighbor at the beach, recently introduced me to the art of zentangle. The image above is my first creation. It was so much fun to try something new. I hope it inspires you to do the same.

Practice

Identify an activity that brings you joy and make room for it this week. Gather your tools and supplies with a sense of anticipation and appreciation. Intentionally perform each step with an attitude of mindfulness. Be fully present. Savor each moment of the experience. When finished, share it with others. Take a little time to reflect on the process. Repeat as often as desired.

Meanwhile, reflect on this passage by Mark Nepo.

Creativity never leaves us. Its call simply keeps changing. And more than what we create, we are created and shaped by how much we give of ourselves to what we are called to. It is an inner corollary to Newton’s third law of motion that for every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction. For every engagement, there’s an equal and returning engagement from life. For every wholehearted leaning in, life leans back into us, bringing us more alive. More than the push to achieve and produce great art, we are called to live a creative life. Just as we need oxygen to breathe, we need the creative flow to keep our heart alive. This is especially important as we age. To live a creative life sustains our inner health.