06_04_2019

TAPPING INTO OUR CREATIVITY  This month I’ve been thinking about the concept of “creativity,” and as I reflect on the concept, I realize just how important it is to our continued evolvement as we age.  It is so easy as we age to let our energy for life be lessened by feelings or beliefs that our lives are confined to old rituals, belongings, relationships etc.  This pathway can lead to feelings of depression as we experience sadness and loss believing that we will never again experience the sense of awe and joy that come with new adventures.

I, too, have had moments of feelings along that pathway of thinking there is nothing new in life to learn or experience.  But as I have alluded to in earlier Blogs, we have the wherewithal within to reset our outlook.  In an earlier Blog I wrote about my second trip to Paris with a friend who had never been, and as a result, I revisited many of the sites I had seen before.  As I watched how excited she was from experiencing all of this for the first time, I could feel my spirits sinking since I wasn’t enjoying the same reaction.

However, as the trip went on, I found that I was also fortunate to have my own set of “first-time” or “new” exhilarating moments – a lesson that taught me to remain both open and patient for those moments to occur.

When a 90+ year old friend of mine told me that she went out and bought new sheets and bath towels and I witnessed how excited she was, I was excited for her and for what I was learning from her.   My friend is someone who even though she has enough financial reserves to not worry, she is a typical Yankee in that she watches how every penny is spent. 

I don’t know if you have ever had internal conversations with yourself in which you feel the urge to buy a replacement for something you already have – perhaps a winter coat you’ve had for more than ten years – but your inner voice suggests that you shouldn’t spend the money because after all, the item is still good and you’re older and you don’t know how much longer you will live. 

If you ever start to engage in those kinds of conversations, please call upon your Inner Wisdom to shut such voices down.  Voices like these can lead to depression in our later stages of life. 

I’m currently reading Sharon Salzberg’s book, REAL LOVE: The Art of Mindful Connections.  In the Chapter in which she discusses “The Attachment Paradox,” she reminds us that Buddhist teachings “encourage us to accept the impermanence of all things: the flower that blooms today and will be gone tomorrow, the objects we possess will break or fade or lose their utility, our relationships will change, and life will end.”

One’s reaction to Salzberg’s statement may be a clue as to whether one sees the glass as half empty or half full.  I read the statement from a “glass half full” perspective, as it helps me accept and understand that it is okay and natural to “let go of” when the time feels right.  I remember struggling with leaving a job that for the most part I enjoyed while at the same time I was feeling like “I wasn’t fully in it anymore.”  I did end up listening to those feelings, and landed in a new role that gave me wonderful and rich opportunities to grow and develop.

I also experience a sense of guilt as I let go of clothes and other objects that have outgrown their relationship with me.  Going back to my Nautilus image associated with my Blog, I think we’re all programmed to “molt” and shed parts of our earlier lives as part of the process of our continued growing. I make use of the charitable organizations that accept used items in good condition.  Such items can be of use to others.  Once I finished my graduate studies, I relied on garage and yard sales to furnish much of my house, so I know that used objects can find a good home where they are much appreciated and enjoyed.

I have found it to be an incredibly powerful experience to listen to my Inner Voices – generally expressed in thoughts, or intuitive impulses, and occasionally instantaneous and fleeting like a light bulb flash – as these insights and desires if listened to lead along a path of expressing my creative, evolving self.

Let me share one of my latest journeys that began with the purchase of an Instant Pot.  About 8 months ago when my Dental Hygienist was making conversation with me while she was cleaning my teeth, she asked me if I had ever used an Instant Pot.  In earlier visits, I had shared that I was a vegetarian, and that revelation led to her seeking cookbook suggestions as she was beginning to explore eliminating meat from her diet.

She raved about the Instant Pot, highlighting how it aided in creating a healthy meal in a short time.  Since I love to cook, I thought the device was worth learning more about.  So over the next few months, I checked out cookbooks designed for Instant Pot cooking at bookstores and my local library.  I will admit that I was a little intimidated once I realized that the pots used pressure cooking to speed up the process.

Growing up in the Midwest, as I witnessed women using pressure cookers to can vegetables and fruits, I absorbed all of their warnings about how dangerous these devices were.  In addition to being intimidated, I listened to those inner voices telling me that I already had enough cooking stuff and that I didn’t need anymore.

BUT, those fears and voices of discouragement were not able to drown out my interest in the Pot. My search for a “fluted pastry cutter” led me to a Williams-Sonoma store a few weeks ago, and I noticed a display of Instant Pots.  When I read the sign that today’s special was 75% off the purchase of an Instant Pot, I succumbed.

Once at home, I opened the rather large box to fish out the directions.  Never try to read new directions when you’re tired, as I was exhausted and weary and I didn’t have the energy to focus on trying to make sense of how to use the device.  So it sat in the box for a couple of weeks, and then one day, I committed to learning how to use the thing as the one activity the I would accomplish that day.

It wasn’t really that hard to figure out once I was rested and committed to the project.  It helped that I had purchased an Indian Vegetarian Cookbook designed to use for Instant Pot cooking.  The recipes sounded delicious.  To start the process, I completed the recommended Test Run using water only, and I was able to make it work.

What a confidence booster!  I started with a couple of simple recipes that turned out to be delicious.  As I used the device, my confidence increased, and I decided I was ready to tackle more complicated recipes.

However, since these required ingredients not available in your typical grocery store, I had to search out and visit an Indian grocery store to buy items like paneer, fresh curry leaves, green cardamom pods, etc.  That trip turned out to be a fun adventure, and I am particularly grateful to one of the store owners who patiently walked me through the store and answered my questions related to ingredients and how to best use them.

And tomorrow I’m hosting a dinner in which I am using the IP to cook several Indian recipes. 

Maybe I’m just a bit nerdy, but I find it lifts my spirits, brings me joy, and boosts my energy to try something new.  Cooking is one of my creative outlets, and exploring our creative leanings is a great way to continue to evolve and grow.  Such efforts reward us with joy, insights, renewal and heighten our energy and enthusiasm for life.

Maya Angelou reminds us that we don’t have to worry about using up our creative powers; in her own words, “You can’t use up your creativity. The more you use the more you have.”