AwakenCreative: Day 12 A 40-day Journey Of Self-Discovery

Awaken Creative,

Day 12 of our 40 day journey.

I have another quote for you to consider today.

And for those of you who are creative artists,

Who hold a pen or a microphone or a paintbrush in hand,

This is most applicable to you as you recreate,

Create,

Recreate,

Create,

And hope that a through line or a vein of continuity exists in your work that sparks not only yourself each and every time you engage,

But the viewer or the listener as well.

Thomas Merton was writing of Buddhism or the Buddha.

He studied a lot of Eastern religions,

Being a Catholic monk himself.

He was speaking of enlightenment,

But I'm applying it to the daily craft of your life.

Because perhaps,

I posit,

The daily craft of your life becomes enlightenment.

He said,

To stop,

That is seeking,

To stop is to stay a million miles from it.

And to do nothing is to miss it by the whole width of the universe.

To me,

This speaks to something I wrestle with every day or remind myself of,

And don't even wrestle,

I don't jump in the arena at all.

Once I remind myself of it,

And that is this,

That life is a dance.

We're in partnership.

And as I take a step,

So does the universe.

And as I take another,

The universe gives a twirl.

It's a give and get.

It's a lean in and rest out.

We do not achieve anything by stopping,

But neither do we by continuing to push through.

If you leave no room for your partner to make a move,

Then there's no dance.

But if you stop and simply wait for your partner to continue,

It's a one-sided move as well.

Pay attention to where you're called to step today.

Trust that you see the universal step,

The guiding hand reaching for you to also take a step.

And at that point,

Make your move.

It's not a stopping.

It's not a rushing ahead.

It's a dance.

I remind myself of this today as I go pick up a brush,

Lay out the color,

And step.

Awaken created.