Letting Go of Expectations

Last summer when I was feeling stuck my coach suggested I write with my left hand for a while. Thanks to Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way, I’ve been writing Morning Pages for over 15 years. Morning Pages is an exercise where you write 3 pages fast, in long hand, first thing every morning to clear the clutter that accumulates in your mind overnight.  Writing with my left hand was going to require some serious...

Musings on Miss Frizzle

The Magic School Bus was one of my favorite shows to watch with my daughter when she was growing up.  It featured the teacher everyone wished they had, Miss Frizzle (represented by the voice of Lily Tomlin).  Miss Frizzle came to class dressed to represent the subject matter about to be studied.  The solar system unit featured planet earrings, rocket ship shoes, and images of galaxies printed on her dress. The...

The Bamboo Dance

I’ll be blunt.  If you don’t develop flexibility, you are in for a rocky road.  There is more change coming at us faster than we’ve ever known and it is not going away anytime soon. Consider the bamboo reed – whipping about in the wind, bending so far at times as to touch the ground before springing back up – but it doesn’t break.  Bamboo is the very definition of flexibility – ready and able to change so as to...

Creativity and Artistry

Creativity is about much more than being artistic.  I was in a group last summer with a bunch of talented folks who you would classify as artists – people who draw, photographers, musicians, poets, writers, videographers, and the generous pixies who created the luscious and hospitable space for us to play in.  Those were the visible forms of artistry – the designated artists. I had an Ah-Ha moment when one of...

The Appointment

What if, on the first sunny day, on your way to work, a colorful bird sweeps in front of you down a street you’ve never heard of. You might pause and smile. A sweet beginning to your day. Or you might step into that street and realize there are many ways to work. You might sense the bird knows something you do not and wander after. You might hesitate when the bird turns down an alley. For now there is a tension: Is...

The Four Portals of Gratitude

In her audio book, Gratitude, Angeles Arrien offers the four portals of gratitude: Blessings – acts of kindness, consideration and generosity Learnings – life lessons that allow me to stretch, to handle the unexpected and unfamiliar Mercies – acts of compassion and forgiveness Protections – given to us by the seen and unseen worlds Gratitude is intricately linked to cultivating a creative way of...