I am writing this newsletter on Groundhog Day. It got me thinking about the film and wondering if I could choose a day to repeat again and again, which day would that be?
I decided to ask the members of our Creativity Working Group, during check-in, to share a day that they would like to repeat in honor of it being Groundhog Day.
One person described sitting on the front porch with her four month old granddaughter and the love and connection that she felt so strongly. She decided on that day to move to the town where her son lived so she could babysit daily for her granddaughter’s first two years of life. Another group member told us about a day she wanted to redo so that she could learn from her mistakes and communicate more clearly the next time.
The day that immediately jumped out for me was a wonder-filled day. It was summer in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, and it was an art and nature-filled day. It started with a walk of the grounds and a rehearsal of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with soloist Sophie Mutter at Tanglewood. Then we attended an intimate play at Shakespeare & Company, followed by a dance performance on the outdoor stage at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. I told my husband that the Berkshires were my “happy place.”
This special day moved me because of the creativity that I witnessed while also being out in nature and beauty. When we think about the experiences that move us, they can be a window into how we want to spend our time. To what do we want to devote our energy and resources?
During this period of COVID-19 isolation, it sometimes feels like every day is Groundhog Day because of the sameness to each day. It has been especially dull for me recently because I am in between creative projects. I haven’t had an idea for what I want to work on next. I usually get inspiration when I am out and about exploring, traveling, being around other people. I see, hear, learn something that sparks an idea that I want to explore further.
Last night I had a dream that I know was a reaction to something disturbing going on in my town. I have been upset about recent decisions made by the public library board. In my dream it somehow got connected to another place in my past. It was an anxiety filled dream, but when I wrote it down, suddenly an idea for a new play emerged. Now I feel excited to explore this idea.
We may often be surprised by what moves us to action, to emotion, to creativity. What moves you?
If you would like to join a Creativity Working Group, I am starting a new Zoom group in March. We meet once a week for an hour and a half. I offer a short mindfulness exercise, a quote or prompt to get us thinking creatively and then we each work independently, with sound muted, for about an hour. Then we check in again at the end of the hour.
In our current group, members have bonded and developed new friendships, focused on independent projects (music, collage, art, databases, writing, and more), learned new creative ways to move forward, and had fun. One group member wrote me, “Once again, thanks for spurring me back to making music by starting our creativity group. What a treasure it has been.” Creativity Working Group - Come join our new group
New group starting March 3, 2021.
We will meet on Wednesdays from 3 - 4:30pm weekly.
Cost: $25/month
Contact Sue soon to learn more and to express interest: sueschleifer@lusfiber.net