Fri-Yay: Creativity

Happy Friday, y'all!

As you get to know me, you'll discover that I am an unashamed Bohemian and, as a result, the Broadway musical, "Rent" really resonates with me. Like whoa. One of the lines from "La Vie Boheme" has stuck with me in the many years since I first saw the musical: "The opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation."

So, why does that line resonate with me so much? I'm so glad you asked. What? You didn't ask? Well, I'm going to tell you anyway.

The reason that I believe that creation is the opposite of war is because peace is its own kind of war. Striving to keep the peace often creates a war within us and it ends up exploding when we least expect it.

And yes, I am shifting into metaphor land here. Just go with it.

Of course, most of what I'm saying here holds true with regards to actual, bombs-dropping-on-people wars, too. But for most of us, we fight a personal war each and every day, and that's the war I'm talking about right now.

For me, art, and the creation of same, help me soothe my own soul on a regular enough basis that I can help others soothe their souls, too. Tapping into the creative ideas and thoughts and ideas so far outside the box they'd need the TARDIS to contain them helps me ground myself in reality.

Talk about juxtaposition. And welcome to the irony inherent in being a creative person.

And, just so we're clear, being an artist does NOT mean that you need to be able to draw/paint/sing/dance to the level of the professional. For me, and this is something I always stress when I teach, if you feel an emotion and you put pencil/pen/brush to paper or you sing out or you dance a jig, you are an artist. Go ahead and try to change my mind, but here's a tip: you won't.

So, my challenge to you this week is simple: make something.

Make a painting.
Make a drawing.
Make a poem.
Make a song.
Make a dance.
Make a cookie, a garden, an outfit...

Feel something authentically and express it. How did that help you with your personal war?

Because, let's be honest here. You don't find peace through simply not fighting that war. You find it by CREATING it.

Wellness Wednesday: Self-Care

First, some housekeeping... I am attempting to get myself on some sort of schedule here with the blog. Like everything else, this blog is a work in progress, so please be patient with me as I figure it out. I am going to try to post three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Monday's posts will probably involve planning/organizing/time management. Wednesday will be all about wellness and Friday will revolve around creativity.

Because I love alliteration, I have decided that I'm going to do at least a Wellness Wednesday post every week. This is an extremely broad topic so we might talk about fitness, diet/nutrition, mental wellness, emotional wellness, etc. Who knows? But I hope that we can learn with and from each other each week. If you think of a topic that you'd like me to write about, please feel free to drop me an email or comment below.

Let's get to the meat of this week's post, shall we?

This week is all about self-care. Why? Because I'm having a hard time with it and I thought that writing about it for you, gentle reader, would be a good way for me to reinforce what I need to be doing.

So. What comes to mind when you contemplate the idea of self care? I know that a lot of folks head right towards comfort food and bubble baths and that is a perfectly legitimate way to take care of yourself. However, for me, the idea of self care needs to be integrated into each and every thing that you do.

My word of the year for 2019 is Dedicate and I have fallen off of that, to be honest.

I dedicated myself to training for a fifth (on March 31, 2019) and sixth (in October) half-marathon with eyes on training for my first full marathon in 2020. I successfully completed my fifth half-marathon and was within moments of it being my personal best time. I then completed a 5K where I did get my personal record (PR) and then life happened. Some medical stuff came up with my husband, nudging me into the role of caretaker. I dropped a can of shave gel on my foot causing me issues with my toe for a couple of weeks. I stopped eating how I should. I stopped adhering to an appropriate bed time. I just kinda stopped.

So, my self-care needs to rebound so I can, too. What does that look like in my ideal world?

• I'll take my medications as prescribed.
• I'll get to bed at the more reasonable hour of 11:30PM.
• I will follow my training plans, but allow for flexibility.
• I will get back to meal planning and prepping.
• I will write in my journal several times per week, if not daily.
• I will plan my week ahead in my Happy Planner.
• I will make out my to-do lists for the next day.
• I will drink my water every day.
• I will meditate and calm my spirit.
• I will think creatively and make art on a regular basis.

In doing all of that, I can shore up my defenses: mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. I will be more adaptable to the stresses that life has always thrown, and will always throw, at me. I will treat myself with the same care, compassion, and kindness with which I attempt to treat all people.

My goal in life is not to be a size 0 or to win any of the races I enter. I simply want to be comfortable in my own skin and feel accomplished. My mantra this week is "progress, not perfection". All I ever ask of anyone is to simply hold the intention of being better than they were the day before. Unfortunately, we often hold ourselves to a different standard than we do everyone around us, and I am certainly no exception to this rule.

And so, my friends, the height of my self-care needs to simply be to treat myself with kindness and mercy and remind myself to simply hold the intention of being better tomorrow than I was today.

What do you do for self-care? Do you have a routine? Let me know in the comments!