Last week I had a good therapy session. What emerged was my need to look at where I felt obligated, where I felt energy drain, and make some small but significant changes to help me relax. I wanted also to free up energy to go at least once a week and be in nature. I like the walks in my neighborhood but it is not the same as being in more wild spaces.
This week I explored a favorite beach. The sunshine came out and it was a perfect day to go to the ocean. Going to the ocean is such a sensory experience: the bird calls, the smell of seaweed, the sound of the waves, the visual beauty and the feel of the warm sun on my face.
People tend to get happy on a sunny day outside. As I started my walk, I saw a father and young daughter searching the beach for treasures. They crossed a fallen log because there was a fast moving stream that was too wide to walk across. You couldn’t jump it and the stones would be very slippery to cross by foot. So I followed them over the log. It’s been awhile since I’ve balanced on a log, carefully shifting my weight, using the low hung branches to steady myself.
The beach ahead called to me as you can see below.
I navigated my way over the rocky shore and found these greeting me on the sand. I love when people share their joy in this way.
Recently I was at a coffee shop ordering a decaf and the barista made a beautiful leaf in the foam. It’s those small acts of sharing and of art in different forms that inspires me. These beach messages help me connect to others even though I was alone. I am comfortable in aloneness but I like to feel connected in these solitary walks.
I kept walking and taking pictures. This picture is taken near the area of the beach where I had buried my dogs’ ashes a few years ago. It feels like a special place to me.
My mental health is closely connected to nature. I spent a lot of time outside growing up and I relax in a deep way in nature. Most of us feel connected to nature. It’s peace. It’s beauty. We slow down. That we are a part of it no matter how far we move into the material, human-made world. I especially feel a strong sense of self in the wild and an unselfconsciousness that releases me from a feeling in the city that I am on display. It is a place that brings solace. A place to let go of feelings. Here I am on that beautiful day.
Lately I feel I haven’t been inspired to make art other than the doodling I do if I am talking on the phone or reflecting in my journal. I am moving forward and engaged in my book writing and this uses up a lot of my creativity. I remind myself that I don’t need to do it all to be true to my creativity. My art making ebbs and flows with what else I am working on.
My process here is not about perfectionism. Perfectionism is not great for my work or my mental health. My perfectionist has me stalling movement forward because it want something to be exactly right. My perfectionist sees the glass half empty. My perfectionist needs control and doesn’t roll with the waves of change.
I am currently reading “Addiction to Perfection,” by Marion Woodman to remind me to heal what is driving perfectionism. The exploration of seeing the impact of my perfectionist is an ongoing journey but I am grateful for Woodman for deepening my inner dialogue on this. A Jungian perspective with art and dream analysis resonates with how I understand my unconscious motivations.
I may not be making art but I can take photos. I am not a skilled photographer but I love capturing something in a photo that catch my eye. Photography can be a form of story telling. These photos speak to the joy and peace I felt that day. I love the shadow and texture captured in the photos below. Nature is art and an inspiration.
Perhaps because it is Spring there is the desire to return to the light. To feel inspired. To be outside. To feel the sunlight on my face. To be by the ocean, in the forests, on the lake. When I free up energy that is stagnant, when I conserve my outgoing energy, then I have more to spend on experiences that fill me up.
My wish this week is that you look at what is draining your energy and try to make small changes to help create some space, a feeling of relief, an opening. It’s important to reflect on your inner compass and remind yourself where you want to focus your energy and what places, people, and projects sustain you.
On your next free sunny day, try freeing up some space so you can go exploring, either outside or within or both:) 🩵🩵🩵🩵🩵Meegan
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