Perhaps being at home these days has opened up some new pathways in my brain. Maybe playing with my collage paper, beads, stencils and scraps of things have freed me from my constant need to 'do something' constructive.




This morning at around 3a.m. I woke with a start. Canvas frames and brushes woke me up. I tried to reach quietly for my pen and paper in the drawer beside me. Not quietly enough, as I heard my husband stir. This was early, even for him.

If I ignored the words that reached me, I knew they would have vanished by my usual waking time. It was the time to jot this down. So here goes...

It's not the size of the brush we are handed at birth that dictates the size of the life we will lead. (Tweet This) Why do we choose to draw within the lines of expectation? Why don't we strive for the largest canvas we can, and let our brush grow with us?

Many of us have been contained, by the culture of our birth, our sex, our size or the faith we were born into. Does 'don't show off' sound familiar to anyone? But who we are inside is not born of the things we are born from.

Look in the mirror, no, stare in that mirror.

The person in there has been obliterated by custom and what we have chosen to hold on to. That person, the singer, the artist, the chemist, the dreamer can be set free.

Let's use this time, this time alone, to stare into that mirror. To put aside our calendars, our lists, and remember who we left behind by every decision we made along the way.

Let's hold on to the good friends, the family member who inspired us, the new and the old in our lives, the ones who 'get us'.

It is the time to re-evaluate, to re-flect, to re-create. Because when all this time alone ends, we get to be who we are inside.

I have been fortunate to reach out to and hear from many special people in my life. I coffee'd with an old friend in an old-fashioned phone call. I could hear her voice, her laugh, her sadness. Let me tell you, it was a far better connection than a quick text!

- I am looking forward to finishing my book this afternoon, slowly. And having the space to contemplate how I will review it. Giving it enough time alone to know why I found it of value.
- I will slide in some quiet time to start Sarah Selecky's, Writing Through Uncertainty
- and continue with the youtube series on mixed media that is teaching me so much. Thank you, Karen Campbell.

At this stage of my slowing down life, I can see why staring into that mirror reminded me of all that I had wanted to be. (Tweet This)

This time alone will end, before we know it we will re-enter our previous life. We will once again have traffic, and shopping malls, competition at the fitness centre and line-ups (I hope) at our libraries. What we can take with us at the other end of this time will depend on how we leaned in to this period.

Will we be able to recognize?

- the time we've wasted trying to keep someone/everyone happy? why did we take on the role to play referee?
- why we've stayed in an uncomfortable/dangerous situation? can we talk to someone we trust?
- that we are afraid of this uncertainty because we like the predicatable? remember, the magic happens in the unknown!
- the need to find the life that works for you/your family? You are not the same as anyone else, this is the time to re-shape some rules
- when we need to get comfort and/or move on? there are many safe/healthy offerings available in a book on your shelf you've been postponing reading or at the end of your keyboard or the familiar voice of a friend

We need to be sensitive to everyone's story. How is this person dealing with this time alone? When we stop to listen, we will all feel better, guaranteed.

Know thyself, know what we need and what we can give. This knowledge leads to freedom from all the noise around you. The distractions and the disruptions can be managed.

We can all emerge, transformed.

It is up to us to use this time alone to help create a better world. (Tweet This)

Now tell me, what have you discovered in your time alone?

Be well,