High dives
When the summer started my son was afraid of getting yelled at by the lifeguard. One late summer afternoon, a tired lifeguard lost it with a particularly feisty and defiant 7 year old. My son happened to be front and center and it terrified him, and his fear became something for me to manage (because I made it so) and there was a constant conversation about that lifeguard and pools, and whistles and kids on slides for a solid three weeks.
Today, he has long conquered that fear and the fear of the big pool and was doing flips off the side into the water, to me and then swimming to the ladder. I was amazed. I was amazed at the markers of his joy.
I watched him order a blueberry water ice quietly and confidently. He punctuated his request with a thank you that melted the snack stand lady, and I openly let my maternal gratitude wash and pool at her feet. She slowed down for him, and let him grow.
There is something about the slow art of living. The pool we are at has most likely stayed the same for the last thirty-years, but that means the tempo is summer slides and moms watching out for everyone, not just their own. These small things add up, and the growth of days is easy to see in one that is physically growing in leaps and bounds in his largest phase of brain development, but you know what, you are growing too.
There was something that you were afraid of last June, or last Spring that you have found your way through. There is something you prayed for that came through and you didn’t know what to do, but you didn’t drop it. You are making flips off the high dive every day courageously living your own life in chaotic times.
Thanks for that. You make it look easy for the rest of us.
Enjoy the rest of the holiday and see you back here soon.
Kate
"A lot of creativity is about being in a network and... not so much about being this lone genius; it's much more about being connected." - Austin Kleon
Here are some ideas for you:
If writing and the creative is a decadence or a curiosity for you, I wanted to share three options (not all mine)—because one size does not fit all—for you to pursue your craft, but also for some of life's juiciness to find you:
1. Small / One hour of creativity this Wednesday September 7th 11 - 12 -EST we are going a Sit & Write on Serendipity & Silence. I talk more about the concept here. It's by donation, sign up here.
2. Medium / One month starting Tuesday the 6th my dear, hilarious friend Ann Randolph is kicking off her UNMUTE series of daily writing, community and meditation. She is fantastic at getting your creativity UNMUTEd. Check out more here.
3. Large / 4 months beginning in October is Sit & Write A Master Course for those that have a larger work that is ready to be born, or is ready to be brought to a container for completion. The writers I have already met with have all said the same thing: This is the way I want to birth my book. They know they want a broader context. They know it is their creation, and yet they know with the power of community and accountability what they can accomplish.
You can schedule a free connection call here.
It is a big decision, but it is not a linear one. Things happen with alignment and resonance that are more laborious in isolation.