The Ebb and Flow of Creation

Being fully present isn’t something that happens once and then you have achieved it; it’s being awake to the ebb and flow and movement and creation of life, being alive to the process of life itself.
~ Pema Chödrön

There is a time to step forth and a time to step back. There is a time to act and a time to rest. There is a time to create and a time to dream.
 
For all of us those times may be different. Some can spend hours creating while others create in short bursts. If you’re a short burst type of creator, you may have moments of being in the flow for hours. An extended period creator may find they create best in short bursts for a time. It’s important to find what works for you and to be open to the times it’s different than your norm.
 
I know what works for me. I know my rhythm, but I don’t always follow it. This past week I did a lot of writing and by the end I found myself empty. There was nothing within to bring forth. I know I need periods of rest, reading and rumination in order to create, but I wasn’t taking much time for it. The plan this year was to write in the morning and read, study, rest, etc. in the afternoon. I wasn’t following the plan and so found myself unable to come up with words for this week.
 
I knew what I had to do. I spent Saturday afternoon feeding my soul and mind. After a few hours of this the ideas began to flow again. I know this is how I work best, but I’m hesitant to take so much time not being productive. That’s the culture speaking of course. What works for me is to spend no more than three or four hours on creation and the same amount of time on feeding my soul and mind. When I’m in that rhythm, I can breathe. It’s as though I’m in synch with the pulse and breath of the Universe.
 
We are all creators. We sleep and dream and then we wake and do. We enjoy our morning tea/coffee while staring out the window and then go about creating our experience of the day. We sit and watch the sun set and then create a delicious dinner. We breathe in and we breathe out. Life moves through us as us in every moment. Its energy ebbs and flows, moves in and out of form. How can we live other than the way Life itself moves and has Its being?
 
I encourage you to find your rhythm and to ride it knowing it will change now and then. There is no greater joy than being the creator you were born to be. Draw beautiful images. Write inspired stories. Create a beautiful life.