Listening – a silent action that shows we care. Listening is not just waiting until someone is finished speaking so that we can talk. Instead, listening means we still our own noisy thoughts and ideas and focus on the person speaking. It is a powerful and amazing tool that allows people to change. It’s one of the best gifts we give to those we love.
I released a little children’s book – Autumn Stories on Oct. 5, 2009.
Little Blue Feather and Nutkin
It’s about Little Blue Feather and his animal friends getting ready for winter. the story came about as I was taking photographs of my needle felted creations. I was inspired and the stories flowed – a culmination of many years of reading fall stories to children and singing the song Hurry, Hurry, Hurry Hurry to my own chidlren and many babies and parents and grandparents in my music classes.
I finished the story at the same time that I created a number of felted playmats/habitats. As I completed one project after another, I wondered where my inspiration came from. I realized that it had been years in the making and all of a sudden the energy, the creative vision clarified and POOF, it was done. The work of getting the story printed and in book form took a little while. Marketing it and my needle felted things is ongoing and takes time.
What amazed me was that when the time was right, it all flowed. It is reassuring to know and remember this and to take advantage of those creatively inspired times. At the same time, it is OK to accept that not all times will be filled with inspiration. Sometimes, like a squirrel storing nuts, the experiences, the thoughts, the feelings we have take time to manifest themselves into creativity.
Learning to listen to oneself allows for your own rhythm of creativity to flow; it is one of the hardest and simplest thing to do.
You can purchase Autumn Stories for only $6.95US/CAD plus $2 US (US addresses) $1.50 Canadian address
Brighten the Day – songs to celebrate the seasons can be purchased for $21.45 US/Cad and includes shipping.
Buy both together and save $2.00
I’ve been recovering from nerve pain as a result of nerve damage from a bout of shingles that I had in April of 2007. It is taking a long time for my nerves to heal from the damage. One of the things I keep relearning is that I can’t make my healing go faster, I can only make it go slower by not listening to the signals I receive from my body.
This poem by Piet Hein often comes to mind:
T. T. T.
Put up in a place
Where it’s easy to see
the cryptic admonishment
T. T. T.
When you feel how depressingly
slowly you climb,
it’s well to remember that
Things Take Time
Piet Hein, a Danish poet, published two books of poetry called Grooks I and II which I bought back in the 60′s. They’ve been out of print for a long time but have been reprinted by the Danish publisher Borgen “Collected Grooks I” and “Collected Grooks II”. You can order them from the publisher.
“Be yourself – you can’t be anybody else,” sings the frog in Tubby the Tuba when Tubby is sad because all he gets to play in the orchestra is oompah, oompah. Sometimes the first step in finding out who you are is to find out who you aren’t.
I’ll be posting more about my approach to coaching and helping your find out who you are as the days go by. You can read more about me on my website. In the meantime, enjoy the day and breathe, sing, and smile!
