Authentic Hunger

Household chores call to us.  Children call to us.  Work calls to us.  But when does our creativity call to us?  Maybe it does, and we don't hear it?  Or are we too busy listening to our obligations and not our authentic self, that creative side of us.   Maybe we've convinced ourselves that we don't really have time for any pursuit of our creative side that takes more than 15 or 20 minutes.  

Or maybe we don't hear those whispers because we don't want to hear.  If we hear, we might have to acknowledge, even respond.  There's no time to be passionate, we have to be practical.  I know I'm guilty of that one more often than not.  From the time I was a little girl, I was raised with the mantra of "work before play".  And being the kind of person I am, in trying to please authority figures, I do much more work than play.  But I'm learning (and relearning) every day to be better.

While we all have our priority list of things that need doing, we should remember that we can include ourselves, our passions, our creativity, on that list as well.  We won't be putting ourselves at the top of the list (because that's not how real life works!)  but we can at least get on the list.  And maybe our time doesn't happen every day, but we should all find time to carve out for ourselves.

Mary Ann Evans wrote:  "It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive.  There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good and we must hunger after them."   Space and time to nurture our creativity may be one of our authentic hungers.  Perhaps we think that only food, drink, work, sex, shopping, or pills can reduce the hunger to a dull throb.  But if we take an hour a day to paint, to plot, throw pots, write, take photos, maybe we wouldn't be in pain. Just maybe.