One night long ago, my husband took our baby son out for a walk. I stayed home to spend the evening wrapping Christmas presents. Sounds mundane, right? But it was heavenly. I had two whole hours to dedicate to a task with absolutely no interruptions. That night was the first time in months that I experienced that lovely state of flow, where I was able to completely lose myself in an activity.
Losing the opportunity for flow is, for me, one of the most difficult aspects of parenting. Moms and dads of young children live in a near constant state of flux and have to be able to triage or switch gears at the drop of a hat. At times when I feel particularly overwhelmed or stressed out, I try to pick up my ukulele. Music is my shortcut— a few minutes of playing and singing is usually all it takes to make my way into that more peaceful "flow" mindset, which makes it easier to go back into triage mode!
But variety is nice every once in a while, right? So last night, after the kids fell asleep, I took a break from all of my regular nighttime responsibilities and habits to do something that's rather against-type for me: I assembled my first LEGO kit. After I finished, I picked up my ukulele and played "Yellow Submarine." And it was delicious.
isn't it adorable??
How do you make time for creativity? I'd love to hear about it!
