Lessons in Creating

The day is gray.  All I want to do is crawl into bed and sleep-a good, long restful sleep.   Six thirty in the evening is embarrassingly early to be contemplating sleep, yet I find myself complaining, “I am SO tired.”  Every once in a while, I just need to get to bed early to recharge.  Late nights and much too early mornings have contributed to the feeling that I am slogging through molasses. 

A few Zentangles later suddenly, I feel both calm and energized.  It sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but creating touches me deeply if I let go of perfectionism. Since I was a little girl and could handle a dull pair of scissors not meant for a left-hander, I have been creating.  I have not always liked the results.  A sad little representation of an owl crafted more than forty-five years ago and revered by my mother is still on display at what is now my brother’s house.  Please excuse the cliché, but “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”  It has taken me almost a life-time to realize that it is not the perfectionism of the final product that matters, What matters is approaching the process with focus, persistence and determination that makes a difference.  And a little bit of patience and self-acceptance goes a long way.