Come to the labyrinth

by Heather Plett | Jun 13, 2009 | Uncategorized

“Come to the labyrinth,” She said, “and don’t leave until you feel the tiniest of shifts. It won’t feel like the earth shaking, but you will notice it if you pay attention.

“It might feel like a gentle breeze tickling your cheek. It might sound like the songs of a dozen birds in the bushes around you. It might smell like the roses at the centre of that labyrinth. It might look like a tired fuzzy purple crocus getting ready to die to make space for the eternal cycle of seasons passing.

“Pay attention to all of those things,” She said. “That’s where I am – in the rose, the bird, and the tiny worm dangling from an invisible thread. You’ll find me there and we’ll sit together at the centre of that labyrinth. Because I want to be in your company today. I want your attention and I will give you mine.

“The other things filling up your mind right now – the energy-sucking demands of the seven-year-old energizer bunny waiting for you at home, the conference call your boss wants you to be on this morning, the fact that you left too many things in a state of undone – those can all wait for another time. Or better yet – let them go entirely. The world will not fall apart if you miss the conference call.

“Just sit,” She whispered, as I protested. “No, don’t come up with another ‘but…’. Just sit. I have things I want to tell you. But you have to be still to hear them, because I won’t speak above a whisper.”

And so I sat. And listened. And paid attention. And waited for the shift.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPiXVsRhp4s&hl=en&fs=1&]

Creating and wrecking, all at the same time

by Heather Plett | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized

Wow! It’s amazing what a little fun and spontaneous creativity can do to revive a person’s spirits!

First of all (before we get to the creative part), I had to recognize my burn out and do what needed to be done. I emailed my boss (who, by the way, is supportive and won’t hold this against me) and said “I can’t do this. I need a REAL break. You’ll have to sign off on this video project for me.” It was hard to do, since I’ve had a huge stake in this project and I feel a lot of ownership and responsibility for its success, but sometimes, I just have to let go.

Then (while the paint dried in the room I’m painting), I started to wreck my journal. And it was fun! I’ve signed up for Jamie Ridler’s online book club, The Next Chapter, and we’re working on Wreck this Journal by Keri Smith. Well, let me tell you, this is a hoot!

First of all, I have to admit, I’m not in this alone. When my daughters discovered the book, they quickly confiscated it and begged and begged until I said they could contribute. So it’s become a joint project. Turns out they’re wonderful, uninhibited journal-wreckers.

Maddie and I dug into a planter and rubbed dirt on this page:

And then Julie filled this page with a great word:

And then it was my turn. I started with this page…

And decided the good thoughts would focus on the project I’m still hoping to get to later this week.

I’m working on a little studio/office/creative space that I’ve decided to call my “creative sanctuary” (I think I owe that term to Olivia, but I can’t seem to find the original note.) So my good thoughts were about the things I dream of creating in my small cocoon-like space in a dark corner of the basement.

Just for fun, I tore that page out of the journal and buried it in the wall, as a bit of a blessing for the space. I’m hoping that all of those good dreams will come true.

And then, because that creative act revived my spirits and I was feeling bold and spontaneous (plus the sun poked through the rainclouds momentarily), I went for a walk around the block in my paint clothes. It started to rain again on the way home and I just burst out laughing. It was a good, healing laugh, and (truth be told) it was followed by tears (that’s kind of how my emotions are going these days), but it felt good and right to be laughing in the rain.

Just for fun, here’s a picture of my amazing paint pants. I’ve worn them for about 15 years and I don’t think I could ever give them up. They’ve got so many stories in those dry colourful bits of paint.

One more thing… when your emotions are all over the place, and you’re busy painting bold orange and green walls and then taking creative breaks to wreck journals and dream of creative spaces, it turns out that Ani DeFranco is a great companion. I can’t stop listening to her.

Gloomy

by Heather Plett | Jun 9, 2009 | Uncategorized

I had high hopes for this week. I took some time off work, and was dreaming of a magical week with lots of creativity and growing-of-new-things. But I may have overestimated the potential of a week off.

I haven’t lost all hope, but… I’ve just discovered that I’m more burnt out than I realized. Yesterday was mostly a productive day (painting bold colours in Julie’s room), but then I had to deal with a work issue (final approval for a video project), and suddenly I fell apart. The moment I had to go on my work email, my mood took a nosedive and I spent the rest of the day and evening trying to hide from my family the fact that I was fighting tears. (They thought I was spending an inordinate amount of time painting behind the door so they couldn’t come in.)

I knew I was a little burnt out, but I thought I could just bury it and keep on coping. Maybe not.

So for the rest of this week, I’m not going to put much pressure on myself to finish the projects I was planning to work on (sigh). I’m just going to focus on making sure I don’t fall apart all together.

On top of that, I just found out that a woman who lived across the street, whose 2 daughters were friends of Julie and Maddie, died on the weekend. I’m feeling heartsick.