New Directions. New Paths.

The creative life sends you down many long and winding and very twisty paths. Some paths are life long. Some paths end. Suddenly. 

Creating for me, is a life long path that began in my childhood with simple play. I loved twigs and leaves and mud with these I made tiny houses with leaf roofs and rock roads. The sound of the crickets, birds and neighborhood creek were music to me. Riding my bike through the woods was my favorite path and it still is. 

I started writing even before I could write by scribbling on any piece of paper I found. I loved holding the pencil, pen or crayon in my hand. Just the movement of it across the page was a delight. I didn’t know then that writing was any kind of occupation. It never occurred to me, I could make money at it, or ever win awards for it. I still doodle in my journals and write on this blog. 

I know many feel that the long road gets shorter with age, but I don’t. 

Yes, as life evolves, some paths end. Jobs end. Galleries and shows close. Groups change. Friends fade. Children grow up. My mud villages became grass and the woods I roamed are now suburban streets and homes. 

As I’ve grown and lived and aged, I’ve evolved, too.

Back in my mud making days, I could never have imagined throwing a cup, bowl or vase from clay. Although I saw faces in the clouds overhead, I could never have imagined making a mask from copper or window screening. Watching the sun set, I never knew, one day, I’d paint one.

I don’t scribble on walls, anymore. I type words on my IPad, post on my blog and edit a group newsletter and yes, sometimes I still write ad copy. 

Where I see loss, I  also see new directions. I see new paths.

Writing and mud are still part of my path. But the years and life create layers of experience that enrich and expand everyday. So I’m trying to remember, when tears come and something ends that I have been given a chance to create a new path to explore. 

And so, now like I did then, I walk through the woods, lean against the trees and listen to the birds. But now, their wisdom guides, calms and revives me to move onward.