1. I will start Spring cleaning. I can declutter and get rid of things. I will keep what is useful and beautiful and let the rest go. I will spend some 20 minutes a day cleaning out clutter.
2. I will walk in the Winter. I will grab my camera and my dog and take some pictures. I will get fresh air and enjoy nature. Fresh air makes everything better.
3. I will find a good book and some snacks and treat myself to some reading in front of our fireplace. That one is going on the calendar.
4. I will make a fort with some kids. We will have some snacks, read some books and play a board game inside.
5. I will make breakfast for dinner. I love breakfast for dinner. It’s fun making pancakes in the evening. Kids love it too. And if I really don’t want to cook, a bowl of cereal is a tasty and easy way to end the day. 
6. I will, while spring cleaning, find some creative projects and pull them out when I have some time.

Okay. This list will get me through a couple of weeks – hopefully all the way to spring break. Of course, we sometimes get snow in May….

I’m finding that play needs to be planned as much as work. We are very good at planning our work. We have goals (either goals we choose or are given by our employer.) We begin with the end goal we want to accomplish and plan backwards. We decide what steps to take to make those goals happen. 

If I want my play time to be more than eating take out and watching Netflix, I need to be intentional – I need to make my play time goals.

I decided I want to be a person who reads and set a goal of reading 4 books a month. (Yeah, I like to read.) That led to a Saturday morning relaxing in bed reading some fiction. For me, that was excellent play time.

I want to be a person who embraces winter. This is a struggle. But we are getting a break in the below zero temps so I made some plans with friends to go snowshoeing. And I have a dog walking schedule. It forces me to go out. I also took the time to get our fireplace fixed. I have a place I like to be when it’s cold.

I want to be a person who goes new places and tries new things. So, I look at magazines and websites that list festivals and community events. I try to be aware of new restaurants and look at recipes that would be fun to try with friends. When I’m paying attention, the ideas appear.

It’s a start. 

And it’s true. Using your imagination is something we get as kids and using your imagination is a practice thing. Use it or lose it. And now we have a multitude of ways to use our time. Our imagination gets lost. 

Many a time I have picked up my phone to do a bit of research about something I’m writing and got distracted by social media or emails. By the time I have checked out all of my notifications I’m out of time or, worse, I have forgotten what I was going to write about. Sometimes it comes back to me and sometimes the idea is gone.

For example, in the middle of writing this post, I found it necessary to look at the pictures I took the other day. Then I found pictures on my phone I thought I had lost. And then I remembered I was using my imagination to do some writing and thought about how easily I can get distracted.

I could be annoyed with myself. But I’m choosing not to beat myself up over this. Instead, I choose to laugh at myself and hope that there are people up there who have experienced this and will laugh and relate. I choose to be happy I spent some time getting my thoughts down on paper and that I will continue to do so through all the distractions and busy-ness. I will be happy I go to a church where using our imaginations to create a better world is part of the sermon. And, even though I was distracted, I still created something I wanted to share. 

1. Eat a Different Breakfast – I usually find a breakfast I like and stick with it. I just don’t want to think before heading off to work so I find something that tastes good and gives me a good start for the day. But when I need to mix it up, I start trying new things. I trade out my usual egg for oatmeal with blueberries and peanut butter. A healthy smoothie is another option or I try a new recipe.
2. Do a Different Workout – My usual workout is a combination of DVDs. But I have had mix it up due to our new puppy. She really needs to get out and about. Thank goodness the weather is warmer. When I’m not trying to convince the dog to behave and stop barking at the other dogs my mind is free to think about what I might want to write about, what I want to eat, or what I want to do.
3. Read a Different Kind of Book or Watch a Different Kind of Show – When I feel stuck in a rut, I look at what I have been reading or watching on TV. I often find I have been reading only non-fiction or watching the same kind of TV shows. So, it’s time to find a new movie or read some new fiction.
4. Try Different Foods – Trying some new foods can mix it up for me. I go to a new restaurant or look for some recipes on Pinterest. Sometimes it works out great and sometimes I get something I don’t like. But it’s always a good story.
5. Make time and stop by that place you have always wondered about. – You know what I’m talking about. There is that store/restaurant/park that you have always driven by and wondered “I wonder what that place is all about.” Well stop driving by and go inside. Order something or buy something or just look around.

None of these are earth shattering ideas. But big change can happen with small steps. Try something new today and break out of your rut.

Now I make sure I have done the things before I reward myself with reading…or relaxing.

I was a great deal happier as a kid.

I was listening to a Rachel Hollis podcast yesterday. (The Rachel Hollis Podcast – episode 176) She recommended writing down all the ways you spent your time the previous year and deciding if it added to your life or distracted. Did it make you feel you were living the good life or was it a waste of time? Did the time add to your goals and make you more of the person you want to be, or did it distract from that person?

After listening to that I realized I had to do two things. First, I had to define what living the good life meant for me. What do I find rewarding, creatively satisfying, and fulfilling? How should I spend my time to help me become the person I want to be? Second, then I would need to look back at 2020 and see how much time I spent doing those things and how much time I wasted doing other things.

This will be part of my adventure for 2021. And I will start today by reading first and cleaning second. I will spend time with a coffee and a notebook and think about how I want to spend my time by myself, with my husband and with my family so I feel like I am living a good life.

Then I need to follow through. I need to plan to have those experiences. I need to ask my husband on a date. I need to make a lunch date with my daughter and son. I need to get out with my camera and take some pictures. And I need to sit down with a drink and a snack and read that book.

But here is another option. Take your inner artist out for some inspiration. In her book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron suggests taking yourself out on Artist Dates – once a week. All by yourself.

I know. You’re already shaking your head thinking I can’t do that. I have a job/husband/kids/a parent who needs me, etc.

If that is your first thought, you probably are a person who could benefit from the Artist Date. You know I’m right.

Here are some ideas to create some time – go on a lunch break. Get out of the house before everyone else is up and let the kids wake your spouse. Trade days with your spouse – you have some free time on Saturday; he has some on Sunday. Ask your parents to have a playdate with your kids. Ask your adult children to help their grandparents and give you a free day. Or morning. Whatever time you can get.

Now that you have time, what should you do? Try these ideas to get the creative juices flowing again.

1.  Go Outside – Being out in Nature is good for creativity. I like to be outside – kayaking in the summer, snowshoeing in the Winter. I like to hike and bring my camera along. And my notebook and a snack.
2. Go to a Shop You Have Never Been to Before – Generally, I don’t advocate spending money as a creativity source. But I like to go into stores for inspiration. If I see something I like, I think about how I could create that for myself. I think about displays and what I like about them. Go into a store solely looking for inspiration and with the intention of not buying anything.
3. Go to a Bookstore – Check out a bookstore. Go into sections you usually don’t go into. Make a list of books you might like to read. Try something new at the café.
4. Visit the Library – Unlike the bookstore you can take home all the books without buying anything. This is a great opportunity to read and learn about things that are out of your comfort zone.
5. Watch a Documentary – or a romance or a mystery. Try something you don’t usually watch. Make a playlist of different movies you want to see, so when you have some free time you can get a snack and enjoy.

And if you are feeling overwhelmed, it’s really hard to know what to do.

This is where my family is at right now. My mother-in-law passed away. There are a lot of decisions and things that have to be done right now. We need to plan a service, clear her apartment and decide what belongings to keep and what to let go. We need to inform the rest of the family and talk to her friends. All of this is made more difficult by COVID 19. How many people can be at the service? Who should those people be? How can we do this safely?

When life throws big things at us, it’s tempting to just shut down. It’s an option – just not a good option. You can also worry or kvetch about all the things you have to do. But that doesn’t accomplish anything.

The phrase that is keeping me sane is “What is the next thing we need to do?” and then doing that thing. I’m not thinking about all the things – just the next thing.

According to a number of sources, adults make 35,000 decisions a day. All that thinking, weighing and choosing every day…I’m surprised we all get up every day. And when we find ourselves in a stressful situation that number increases.

There are some decisions that require a great deal of thought and deliberation. They require research and weighing the pros and cons. But if we get stuck in this stage nothing moves forward.

My new mantra for 2021 is What is the Next Thing I Need to Do? And then I’m going to do it. And every day I’m going to do one thing. I’m excited to see what I can do this year.

Then I figured it out. For me, the creativity feeling is less about the researching and reading and more about the doing…and the creating.

So, if you are looking for inspiration, do something that inspires you. Take a risk. Try something new. Make a cake from scratch or jazz up a box cake. Buy a wooden chair from Goodwill and paint it. Make a new recipe and serve it by candlelight. Print some of your pictures and hang them in a hallway. Create something that makes you smile. And then do it again…and again…and again.

I was wrong. In less than 10 years those trees are at least 7-15 feet tall. They are almost so big that they are close to touching. 

Sometimes you need to take a leap of faith and plant the small sapling. 

I’ve decided this year I will plant more saplings. I will invest my time in helping my saplings grow and keeping them healthy. I will water them. I will trim them back and go a different direction if needed. I will try new things and be proactive with my time and attention. I’m going to think about improving what I spend my time on a little bit every day. Because I learned from those pine trees that small changes over time can add up to a privacy providing tree.

And if I need any inspiration – all I have to do is look outside.

I teach prekindergarten. Every Christmas it’s a big deal to have the kids make a nice gift for their parents. We had decorated glass votive candle holders with mod podge and tissue paper. They are always super cute. Because they are glass I didn’t want them to dry in the classroom. We occasionally have flying stuffed animals in our room. So I took them to the front desk. I told the people there that the candleholders were there to dry. But that information didn’t reach everyone and they were accidentally sent home with a couple of kids.  

This was an accident. No one meant to create any problem for me – they were trying to be helpful. Unfortunately it kind of screws up my plans for the next two days. My plans included decorating bags and wrapping. I also don’t have a little present for those kids to take home.  

I cried. As a teacher, and as a mother, I work very hard to achieve that perfect holiday experience for kids. I was disappointed and frustrated. It was also a straw that broke this camel’s back. 

But shit happens – even at Christmas time. Especially at Christmas time. A time when we are trying to create that perfect experience. But since that isn’t an option anymore, I have to regroup and go with Plan B…as soon as I figure out what that is. 

This has been a year of Plan B. And with a little perspective I realize this is a small thing. Most things are. I think I just wanted something to be easy, to go the right way. But I’m getting better at shifting to Plan B. And we just need to keep figuring it out.