Hopeinart
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Taking Monday

Creating sacred space from the unexpected. Taking Monday is about being intentional about how we spend our days.

About the Author

The Seed - Uncovering the Art  Within

2/29/2016

1 Comment

 
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I have been working at living and breathing "whitespace" for about 8 months now. I've felt stalled in my own art making, not stirred or passioned about my projects, and so I've been focused on listening. Trying to quiet my own rantings and stressings so that I could uncover that small inspired voice within. I've been making time for rest and allowing myself to breathe instead of striving for more. 

In December I was challenged to hang an ornament that represented my spiritual life, and this empty glass globe presented itself. It has sat here on my shelf since then, serving as a reminder of my need to empty so that I am more open to the whispers of my design. I get so cluttered with thoughts, ideas, and stressors, filling with things that are not as important as I make them; and it causes me to miss out on the greater, and sometimes simpler things.

Today, change happened. Or not really change, but an uncovering of what was already present, woven into the very fiber of my being. I've been waiting for change, for an awakening to what lies next. But Emily Freeman, author of A Million Little Ways has made me realize that I needed to look within and look back instead of straining to see what lies ahead. And there I found it.

A seed. A seed of what brings joy to my heart. What brings tears to my eyes. What moves me to true hope and passion. A seed that I can remember being planted as early as Kindergarten. A seed so simple and obvious that it has really been right here all along but I have been dismissing it and looking for something else. This seed bears a call to give a voice to those without voices. An idea that anyone can see has been wrapped into my life, but there is so much more. That seed is stirring. 

But for now it is a seed. And I will continue to wait, because I am not the one who can make it grow, but I am the one who can receive and follow the design laid out for me. It may be a year, it may be a decade. But I know this seed will grow, and I can't wait to share it with you when it does. 

​And my glass ornament is no longer empty.

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1 Comment

Addicted to Noise

11/30/-0001

3 Comments

 
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We all know what quiet means, don't we. We've heard it enough times, first at home as an urgent request from a mother tired of squabbling siblings,  then at school when it's time to dive into books, and at the movies, where hushes are thrown quickly at even the slightest sound. Everywhere we go there seems to be a time allotted to quiet.


As a kid, I loved going to summer camp. Just when staying at home started to lose it's intrigue and began to turn to boredom, camp was a welcome retreat from the mundane, and from aggravating siblings. The week brought excitement and energy to swimming, crafting, hiking, singing, playing games, making friends, and just simply being silly. But always after lunch was the dreaded "quiet hour." Here we learned that "quiet" meant finding ways to do all of the normal pre-teen activities with a careful finger on the mute button. Quiet meant stringing mini ziplines from bunk to bunk so we could send each other notes. Quiet meant muffled giggles, and our own made up sign language, and paper airplanes. Quiet meant anything goes as long as the counselor doesn't wake up.


Later in my life I was introduced to "quiet time," the term coined by Christians to define time spent with God. Many denominations interpret this differently, but I was taught a routine of reading an appointed verse or verses of the Bible, reflecting on it, sometimes writing down responses to a prepared set of questions or journaling, and following up with discussion  and/or prayer. 


Our daily lives are full of overstimulation, and we are starting to overstimulate even our quiet time. We fear the quiet, fear the empty. Silence often coincides with the adjective "awkward."


I had a roommate in college who kept the TV on every waking hour, because she needed constant background noise, the quiet drove her crazy. Until recently, I wasn't able to fall asleep at night without some white noise to fill the space. We are addicted to noise. When we become overwhelmed we look for something else to fill with, as though we can only medicate our souls by adding something more. But what we really need is less.


Somewhere along the road we have lost the real meaning for quiet in our daily lives, and as a result we have lost the benefits of being comfortable with quiet.


To be quiet, we must be still, and listen.  Without judgment, without response, without comment. Just quiet.


Let your soul breathe.

3 Comments

    Author:Rachael

    Welcome! I'm pleased that you've joined me here and hope that you find some inspiration on these humble pages. 

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