Little New Year's Things

Happy New Year!

Today I'm cleaning my studio, starting the year off fresh by getting rid of years of accumulated junk. I've dumped all the little mementos into boxes to sort through later. I have a pail of warm water with lavender scented cleaning soap and a rag to scrub away the yuck. Discovering lots of interesting stuff under the layers of debris in my piling system.

Here are some of my finds:

MOST RELEVANT FIND: A 2002 email I'd printed out where a friend from Germany described the meaning of "zwischen den Jahren", "time between the years", the week between Christmas and New Years, traditionally a time of rest and renewal.

MOST IRONIC FIND: Found my copy of "The Miracle of Mindfulness" by Thich Nhat Hanh had fallen back behind some equipment in my studio. Didn't even realize it was missing. I found it sitting next to a dusty flashlight that I'd left ON about 6 years ago when I crawled back behind my desk to connected a bunch of recording equipment together.

WEIRDEST FIND: Glow-in-the-dark plastic lizard who's been sitting on my window sill for the past 8 years. I don't even remember where he came from or why I have him. Maybe I'll put him in my coat pocket and leave him someplace unexpected for someone else to find.

TO PONDER: Do glow-in-the-dark things ever stop recharging, like rechargeable batteries that get used over and over and won't recharge anymore?

NICEST FIND: Discovered it's possible created a portable meditation altar with an 8-inch square of black paper and a feng shui pillar candle in a pottery bowl. I started doing my morning yoga in my studio a few days ago. The top of my scanner turned out to be the perfect place to set a candle, right in front of the window looking out at the dogwood tree. Then when I start to work I can move this little focal point to another location. Makes me feel peaceful. There are five candles to choose from: Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Metal. Each is a different color and smells like a different kind of incense. In the morning, I choose one to match the energy I feel like I need that day, ... whatever that means. (These were a Christmas gift.)

I'm resting my feet for now, sipping IBC Root Beer from a tall brown bottle. I've been working for almost 7 hours with only a few breaks for snacks and other necessities. Listened to Paul Winter's "Missa Gaia" CD earlier. Sang along. Danced around. It's a New Years thing. :-)

The decorations and items I've removed from the studio were brought in here 5-8 years ago to inspire me to finish the CD. They've lost their relevance now that I've reached that goal and moved beyond.

I visualize transforming this studio into a space that reflects all the current creative threads in my life. My goal is to weave them together into a more coherent whole in the coming year, both publicly and privately, to build in a meaningful way on what's already been accomplished. Balance!

Wishing you inspiration, energy and opportunity in the New Year!

Peace!
Kay

COPYRIGHT 2006 - Effusive Muse Publishing

Love Triangle

Had a realization this morning.

I've always existed in a sort of love triangle between imagination and that thing most people call reality.

I wondered whether it would be best if I became more grounded. My imagination can fill me with worries. Sometimes I lose perspective. Sometimes the world inside my head acts as a shield, keeping me from experiencing the present moment as deeply. Sometimes it closes me up inside walls where only the steady hand of a trusted love can reach in and bring me out.

At other times imagination is a window, a source of creativity feeding countless possibilities. Life becomes hollow without this. Inner vision allows me to shape experiences and be shaped by them. It keeps me open. It brings things into being from nothing but raw materials and focused attention.

Recognizing this love triangle is freeing.

It's all a part of who I am.

I've decided it's OK to love the vividness of life while loving the ideas it inspires just as fiercely. It's OK to keep my imagination close to my heart while looking outside myself for new experiences to fall in love with.

Each creates the other. No need to choose between them.

Circumstances aren't always a matter of choice, but I can choose how my imagination interacts with the circumstances of my life.

I'm grateful that my life is mostly very happy. It's so much more difficult to imagine good outcomes when illness, loss and conflict dominate the landscape. I'm sure these will visit my life again. All part of the human condition. Maybe I can strengthen my inner vision and be a little more prepared for difficulties when they reappear.

COPYRIGHT 2005 - Effusive Muse Publishing

HOW TO BE AN ANTI-DIVA

I want to be an Anti-Diva.

An Anti-Diva is true to herself. She knows herself, her values and spiritual beliefs. She shows integrity in all she does.

An Anti-Diva encourages others to reach their full creative potential, as she does her own creative work.

An Anti-Diva values teamwork over competition, but when she must compete she does so in a way that's respectful of the needs of others.

An Anti-Diva isn't into conspicuous consumption or materialism. No "bling" as a way to show status. The one concession an Anti-Diva makes is to say, "One can never have too many sequins."

An anti-diva is eco-friendly and works for social justice. She strives to be aware of the ways her choices effect others, both in her personal relationships, as well as in her local and global community.

An Anti-Diva values relationships more than "connections." She values creating a meaningful life over making a living.

An Anti-Diva would rather work in the garden than go shopping for shoes.

More to come.

COPYRIGHT 2005 - Effusive Muse Publishing