Hi,

 “Poetry can break open locked chambers of possibility, restore numbed zones to feeling, recharge desire,” ~Adrienne Rich

 I vacillate between exhaustion, wonder, and popcorn. I need numbed zones restored to feeling.

 Exhaustion comes from the length of this pandemic, the perpetual unrest, the prevailing sadness, the social media malevolence.  

 I don’t need to explain it to you.

 What I know from creative psychology is that when there is loss, from losing the way life was to losing a loved one, our creativity is reassigned to adapting to change and our motivation is zapped. It’s different for everyone, but I get this feeling that nothing I do is what I’m supposed to be doing. I get cranky.  

 My cure has been stumbling into wonder. “Stumbling” because I didn’t deliberating derive using wonder as medicine from enlightenment. I just started noticing the refreshing contrast that wonder can bring to the despairing rubble of current affairs.

 I’ve always been a fan of wonder, (The Awe-manac: A Daily Dose of Wonder), but the wonder I experience now is even more vibrant than before because it’s become a lighthouse amidst a turbulent sea, it’s more essential.

 Creativity is a ticket to wonder. Creativity gives us the ability to see things differently so the light is easier to find. Creative minds pay better attention to the purveyors of wonder all around us: nature, music, art, kindness, human interaction.

 If you’re creative, you can be a “wonder bootlegger.” Although a full moon, breathtaking view, and symphony in D minor can create awe, wonder bootleggers don’t wait for these things to happen in order to get inebriated. We can distill wonder from being present, paying attention, and adding a twist of creativity. The feeling of a good bed, the taste of fresh pineapple, the fact that we exist – all deserve wonder. When I’m meditating, I’m intoxicated with contentment. 

 An elixir of mindfulness and creativity can release my worries, distractions, and judgments into a vast sea of consciousness and the creativity to which it leads. I’d like to share it with you in a workshop on Wednesday.

 And the popcorn reference? I’m in wonder of how much popcorn I’ve eaten in the last year and a half..

   “We do art so we don’t die of reality.” Nietzsche, paraphrased