Tired of Waiting for What’s Next?
Written by: mindfulnesspaintings
Open the Barrel and let me out. Turn the lock and let me in. Too late. Time has passed. I float in the present moment and I drift back in time. I return to the present and I lunge forward to reach into tomorrow. I can almost touch “What’s Next” but not quite. The present moment says I must wait. There is no moving forward before time says it’s time.
We’re all tired of COVID and tired of waiting for our lives to get back to normal. We don’t know what’s next, and it can be excruciating. It’s disquieting not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Tomorrow will remain uncertain. Do your best to accept “Right Now” as it is. That doesn’t mean that you pretend that you don’t have angst about the future. Be mindful of how you feel. Notice your unease and don’t try to push it down. However, consider how creative process can help you in this time and place.
My canvas gives me a place to remember and set aside my worries about tomorrow. I deal with the challenges of “Right Now” as draw the barrel that held our Christmas ornaments and recreate the lock on the door that led us into our childhood home. I create this painting full of memories as a way of sitting in the present moment with a focus on what I can do in this time and place. I create my wait through this “in-between” and find my way into tomorrow with a little more ease than I might otherwise have. I am mindful of how I feel. I see that I have concerns about tomorrow and plenty of worries to fill today. I also see that these concerns and worries are quieted by my creative process. I am aware of the shape of the lock and the volume of the barrel as I draw. I add color, value, and texture. I feel safe and centered even though much has been lost and much is uncertain. I see that art making isn’t an escape. It’s a healthy redirection for the feelings and challenges that come with the realities of my “Right Now.”
Pick up a coloring book or knit something new. Create a photo collage or redesign a space. Strip a shabby piece of furniture and make it chic. Be mindful of everything that floats to the surface as you create. Notice everything. Allow things to be as they are. Enjoy the process for the gifts it offers you: choices, pleasure, a feeling of accomplishment, and peace. Encourage someone to join you as you explore your craft. Invite them to discover how they can create and be mindful. Share here, at MindfulnessPaintings.com, or share elsewhere. Make today better one creation and one encouragement at a time.Open the Barrel.
Open the Barrel, Turn the Lock, 2020