There is an idea we have as children that when we become adults we will know everything and have all the answers. That life will be easy and we will know what to do and nothing will be scary anymore.
Presuming you are reading this as an adult, you will know that this is not the case.
Perhaps that is what makes adulthood so challenging at times?
We expect so much of ourselves. We expect perfection. We expect ourselves to know all the answers. We are hard on ourselves for not having it all figured out. We are surprised that life is still scary at times, the school bully is still a bully. We find ourselves doing the things we promised ourselves we’d never do. It wasn’t supposed to be this hard. What did I do wrong?
We think when we have stopped growing physically we stop growing psychologically, spiritually and emotionally. We can. Or we can realise that life is easier when we allow ourselves to expand and nurture our offshoots and branches.
When we are young we are a sapling, attached to the mother post until our roots have taken hold enough for us to stand up by ourselves. We absorb the light and the air and the rain and we get taller. We grow branches. We connect with our environment. Eventually we reach our full height. Then we grow more branches, deepen our roots, grow more layers and benefit the world with our knowledge, wisdom, oxygen, food, nesting places and shelter.
We might become like the thousand year old tree in Calderstones Park in Liverpool, said to be the oldest oak in north west England. It is propped up and needs support but it has continued to thrive having long since stopped growing taller. The tree holds its knowledge deep inside itself, it doesn’t have to remember to absorb water and give off oxygen. Just like we don’t have to remember to breathe or tell our hair to grow. We know what to do with those things.
When we are ‘grown up’ we hold more knowledge than we realise but are often too busy or caught up to access it. I have been learning and thinking about energy and intuition lately. It is only when I look back that I understand that I knew so much all along and if I had just been a bit less hard on myself and trusted myself to know the answers, I could have arrived there sooner. But on closer inspection I have used that intuition much better than I give myself credit for.
When we moved to a small town on the Yorkshire coast eight years ago, it was a huge change for me, having only lived in cities. I felt at the time that I had a purpose here, like I was on a sabbatical from city life to learn something important. Now I see that I have done that. The journey was not a smooth one, but a necessary one so that now I have the knowledge and insight into the creative process, mindful creativity and positive psychology to spread my branches, create Attentive Art and share it with the world. I have learned to understand myself and while I have remained five feet two inches tall for many years now, I am still growing.
If you would like to try a small taste of mindful creativity, I have included a worksheet for you to colour and contemplate your growth and strengths. You can download it HERE.
Please share your worksheet or get in touch to let me know how you found it.
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