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&]
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.
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.
by Heather Plett | Jun 2, 2009 | Uncategorized
With an annual report, a report to the board, my staff’s performance appraisals, and my annual self evaluation all due (or… ahem… overdue) this week, I’ve spent alot of time taking stock of what I’ve done this past year. Even though I moan and groan a lot at this time of year (these are tedious, mind-numbing, and sometimes genuinely unhappy tasks), I’m usually rather pleased when the work is complete and I can sit back and gaze over the list of things I’ve done. It turns out (as it usually does) I’ve done a LOT of work this year and have some pretty sizable accomplishments to report. Yay me! (No wonder I’m feeling a little burnt out!)
It occured to me that perhaps there’s something to learn from this for our personal lives as well. Perhaps it would be a good idea if, once a year, we set aside some time to take stock of the past year. It doesn’t have to be big things that make the list. It could just be an accounting of all the minutiae that eats up our time day in and day out. How many soccer games have you attended this year? How many loads of laundry have passed through your hands? How many times have you vacuumed the floor? How many forms have you filled out? How many bills have you paid?
Go ahead… take stock. If I were your boss or your board of directors, what would you include on your report to me this year?
by Heather Plett | May 27, 2009 | Uncategorized
1. Ignore all those “big box” homogeneous business hotels perched on a strip of fast moving freeway close to the airport.
2. Find a quiet bed and breakfast or old restored inn in a quiet neighbourhood with lots of green space and plenty of character homes.
3. It’s preferable if your B&B host is named James and he’s one of the most pleasant individuals you’ve ever met.
4. It’s even more preferable if James remembers you from the last visit and he prepares tea for your breakfast before you even ask. He might even throw a little coconut in your french toast because he remembers that you liked it last time he made it that way.
5. Avoid the temptation to turn on the TV. In some B&Bs they might help with that by not even providing TVs.
6. Wander. All over the place. Wander with a heavy dose of “wonder”. Up and down quaint streets with interesting shops, through parks with flowering bushes, through art galleries and book stores, and down back alleys with brick walls lined with ivy.
7. If it’s summer time, and your B&B has a luscious romantic garden, enjoy it. Soak in the scent of lilacs.
8. Take pictures of leaves. Let the colours work magic in your heart.
8. Read good books – preferably the kinds of books that will cause a shift somewhere deep inside you.
9. Write. Poems, journal entries, blog posts. Just write. Anything.
10. Eat good, wholesome food. Sushi, Thai… whatever your heart desires. Find a local hole-in-the wall with lots of character and cooks and servers that will delight in pleasing you.
11. Do lots of people-watching – on the subway, in the market, at the art galleries. Enjoy the beauty and diversity of the people you encounter.
12. Find water. Rivers, lakes, streams, fountains. Sit by it and let it replenish your spirit.
13. Just be. Quietly. Find nourishment in the stillness.
by Heather Plett | May 13, 2009 | Uncategorized
Because all the crazy-making busy-ness I mentioned a couple of posts ago was stressing me out, I took yesterday off – just to clean the house. Between work, soccer games, and business travel, there is never enough time to decently clean our house. Marcel used to keep it in pretty good shape when he was in university, but he’s been working almost full time, plus he’s dealing with his dad’s health and trying to be a support to them as much as possible.
I didn’t go near a computer all day and just spent the day playing Suzie-homemaker. I cranked up some good music (have you heard U2’s new album? Amazing!), and cleaned like a fiend – the kind of deep cleaning that my house only seems to get once a year or so. You know the kind – when you haul out the old toothbrush and bathtub caulking? Yeah, I know – I’m as shocked as you are that I am actually even CAPABLE of that kind of cleaning – but a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
But it wasn’t all cleaning – we bought new couches a few weeks ago, so I had to spiffy up the living room a bit to go with the couches. Throw in a little decorating with the cleaning and you’ve made me a happy girl. New cushion covers, some drapery accents, a few new candles, re-arranged furniture… aaahhh… it all looks so puurrrdy now!
And in other news… I was awarded as a runner-up in the World Association of Christian Communicators annual photo contest for this photo from Bangladesh (they were looking for photos that had a different take on gender roles). And a few weeks ago, I was contacted by the Wall Street Journal about another photo they wanted to use (unfortunately, I was away when they sent the note, so when I finally got back to them, they’d found another photo).
