Vivid Living

So I’m at the Starbucks tucked inside Barnes and Noble the other day, killing an hour in-between appointments. It’s about Noon. “I recognize you,” says Jeannie Ritter, Colorado’s First Lady.  “And I recognize you,” I reply.  I remind the First Lady of my name, that her daughter and my stepson are friendly, and of the few times we’ve met.

“Tell me what you’re doing these days,” she asks me, genuinely interested in spite of the fact the efficient-looking executive assistant standing beside her clearly wants to keep her boss on schedule.  I understand, I’ve been there, too. But Jeannie is all talk today so I begin to tell her about the kids, my writing, and my new endeavor beginning an MFA program in creative nonfiction writing. “Good for you. Good for you,” she says, and means it.

We talk for a moment about her next adventure once Governor Ritter leaves office. “I’m thinking about it,” she says, warmly.

We say goodbye and I sit down to tweak a speech I’m writing which happens to also be about seizing adventures. Minutes pass, maybe twenty. I’m lost in thought, concentrating deeply, oblivious to the fact that the First Lady has just sauntered over to my table.

“Sit up straight!” she whispers just loud enough for others to hear.

“You’ll be a hunch-back old woman if you’re not careful,” she warns, those earnest blue eyes of hers fixing my gaze.  I can tell she cares.

I’m a bit embarrassed, of course, but the First Lady happens to be right.  I thank her for the reminder – and I am thankful since slouching is a bad habit.

“Bye Jeannie, thanks again,” I say as she dashes back to her assistant and to do what First Ladies do.

* * *

Three days have passed since my rendezvous with the First Lady. And still I find myself smiling over our little chat about adventures, the importance of parental modeling, and naturally, her admonishment. I’m stepping into my new world today at Goucher College (while still holding up the old world, too) and plan to take the First Lady’s advice to heart. She might have only meant it in the physical sense, but to me, her message is all about standing tall and proud, refusing to slump.

So I’m finally reading Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.

I’ve been meaning to read the book for a few years but have resisted largely because of its grim plot.  Typically, I have no interest in books built around violence and destruction.

And yet this book is different. For those of you who haven’t read it (and I hope you do), I won’t give away the apocalyptic story line.  For me, I’m moved on a few levels. The writing is sparse and powerful.  “There were times when he sat watching the boy sleep that he would begin to sob uncontrollably but it wasn’t about death. He wasn’t sure what it was about but he thought it was about beauty or about goodness.”

Beyond the pitch perfect writing, the story is so raw and primal that it has deeply unnerved me. I’m dreaming in vivid colors – black rage, red fear, purple anxiety. Last night I dreamt that I got arrested for stepping off the curb with the wrong foot. The previous night I had lost my way and was running, en route to my children, who were lost and waiting for me. My first husband was in the dream and also my stepson.  I can’t quite make it all out but I woke to my own cry of “No.” Steve jumped.

For someone who usually can’t remember any aspect of her dreams, I find all of this fascinating.

I suppose I really shouldn’t read dark subjects before bed. Yet what lingers for me is that light and hope persist in the darkest of times.  That is what moves me deepest.

Because I know, and I understand.

Spring’s here, and I’m feeling a burst of creative energy.  Who better to turn to for advice on how to unleash that spirit than my friend Robin Glickstein, who holds an Ed.M. from Harvard.  For 11 years, she’s taken a creative approach to market research by helping people and businesses hone their stories and ideas. Finally, Robin shares her experience and thoughts with readers in her new blog, The MindFULL Creative.

Here, for Vivid Living, Robin shares three ways she jumpstarts her own creative process.  Try them out.

1. Take yourself to the movies and pay attention to what the actors are wearing. Robin gets ideas on how to mix and match clothes as well as ideas for arranging bookshelves and flowers, and the use of color for her home.  She’s also discovered new music this way by tuning into film soundtracks.

1. Start a journal to observe your “daily” travels.   Go to a craft store and purchase a blank journal, some watercolor pencils, a jar of Gel Medium (it acts like glue, only stronger for heavier objects) and a glue stick (for pictures and lighter finds). Look for and collect photos, napkins, business cards, coins, stones, and anything that speaks to you.   Glue them on the page and then write what comes to mind.

3. Clean out your closet.  You know the rule: if you haven’t worn it in two years, let it go.  Have a purge and swap party with a girlfriend: discard the old and tired, and trade clothes, shoes, and jewelry.  Commit to adding one colorful accessory each time you get together.

Sometimes, creativity takes courage.  Let yourself take the journey however you see fit.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”  -George Barnard Shaw