Tonight is a good night to rebroadcast an earlier post. So, I spun the wheel a few times and landed on a piece that speaks to the importance of music and creative expression. It’s a good reminder to me of how important it is for me to stay connected to those things that feed my soul. Earlier this week I was talking to a young colleague about what he wants to do with his career, with his life.
“If the idea of teaching that class makes your heart sing, that’s a sign.” I tell him. “You need to pay attention. If as you walk in the direction of your office and your heart gets heavier the closer you get, that’s also a sign. If you get the opportunity to do the thing that makes your heart sing, go for it. You don’t want to wake up 20 years later wishing you had.”Too often we play it safe; we do what we’re told, what’s expected of us, what we think we should do. True freedom, true joy comes in discovering for yourself that thing that makes your heart sing and going for it to the best of your ability.
Enjoy this post from July 2012, day 377.
I am grateful this evening for music. Even as I write this I can hear my son playing an intricate and beautiful tune on his guitar. The sweet tones drift upstairs and I close my eyes and enjoy it. It reminds me that I need to get my guitar out, wipe the dust off of it with a soft cloth and remember what it was like to lose myself in the music. It’s kind of ridiculous to say that I’m too tired and stressed out to play when playing used to be what I did to help alleviate stress and anxiety. Perhaps I need to pledge to try to go back to daily playing and singing. The last time I did that, I played every day for a solid 45 days or so before I fell off the wagon and once again retired my guitar. These have been stressful days for sure. So now more than ever it makes sense to avail myself of the gifts I have around me to relieve some of the pressure. Music certainly fills that particular bill for me.
I wonder if the world would be a much happier place if people took a few minutes or so each day to do something that brings them great pleasure. Sing a song. Write a poem. Sketch a picture on a piece of paper. Take a walk in the grass with bare feet. Sit out in the sun and listen to the euphony of sounds that fill the air. Listen to a wonderful, stirring piece of music. Take the time to really savor the taste of the apple you’re eating. I believe that finding simple pleasures requires relatively little effort and costs little or nothing, yet we can get so preoccupied with the cares of life that we don’t take a few brief moments to refresh ourselves and renew our spirits. Simple pleasures are kind of like simple gratitude–it’s almost impossible to not find something to give you that small burst of happiness, just like it takes very little effort to find things to be grateful for.
I can look around my room and see all kinds of things I could do that would put a smile on my face and lift my spirits. There’s the cedar flute on my shelf that I rarely get down and play, and yet from the moment I set my lips to the flute and blow, the low,s weet comforting sounds resonate with something deep in my spirit and I sigh. There are the knitting needles and ball of yarn lying in a box not two feet from my desk where I’m sitting writing this blog. I haven’t made an actual knitted object in about 40 years, but I find the act of knitting very relaxing. My frame drum sits atop a bookshelf on the other side of my bedroom. I used to play it as a means of prayer, the rhythmic drumming connecting with something akin to a heartbeat. The sketchbook that sits in my drawer and the dozens of colored pencils I’ve yet to use to try to create a colorful image. These artifacts represent lost opportunities that could as easily be turned into simple pleasures.
I am grateful for the recognition this evening of how little effort it would take for me to bring a smile to my own face by doing fun, simple, creative things. I think I will take a little time this evening to get out my guitar and play a little while. It’s sitting right there,just out of arms reach but some days it might as well be miles away. Just tonight, beginning right now, I think I’ll reach out for the simple pleasures that are close by and give myself the gift of indulging in something that will put a smile on my face. And I will be grateful.
