Greener Pastures, Creative Living and Longing for the Hear and Now

I’m guilty, I admit it! I’m famous for always seeking what’s around the corner, down the road, treasures yet reveled. Perhaps it is my voracious creative spirit but what’s out there longing to be discovered, seems way more interesting than what’s right here in front of me at this very moment.

This pretty much sums up the story of my life and I know this is true for many of you as well. I’m not sure what the reasons are for you but for me, it’s the sense of adventure inherent in the unknown. It’s the satisfaction of discovering, of manifesting, of making a plan and going for it! The potential of possibilities enchants me like nothing I’ve ever known. There is a dynamic energy to this kind of existence that leaves you on the edge of your seat, like a great mystery that may or may not get solved. It’s an adrenaline rush for sure and I’m guessing it’s one of the main attractions for this lifestyle I have chosen. That perhaps along with always having something interesting to talk about. But, there can also be a loneliness to this existence no one ever really discusses. A loneliness for the here and now. You see, haunting me in the back of my mind is the notion that time is not only passing, it is literally passing me by.

I have enough years on me now to see how the game is played: I have an idea, a plan or a desire and I set about bringing it to fruition. Let’s just say I’m planning a journey to a far-away and exotic land. I build the idea in my mind: “How wonderful it will be to discover a new place; to discover another world; intoxicating scents, flavors, colors, culture; to discover myself in new and unimaginable ways” and, the fantasy grows legs. It takes months but I’m focused and committed and I bring about the resources to manifest this trip (money, time off, house sitters, etc.) and off on my journey I go. Only on my journey I get sick. It’s hot, sticky, smelly and crowded! So many people in one small place. I’m enchanted but also overwhelmed. I’m also lost in the language and way out of my comfort zone. I’m awake and alive in ways I’ve never been but this is definitely not the journey I imagined! But then again, it never is. My consciousness is forever altered and I’ve returned with a few battle scars, not always sure how to talk about what is shifting way down deep and yet, after I recover, I can’t wait to go again.

What it is that has unearthed me, the depth of which I can’t often find the words to speak, is the raw presence with which I’ve allowed myself to exist in this world beyond my world. And for people who hunger for the creative life – artists, musicians, writers, travelers, business people of all kinds – this sense of being awake and alive through losing oneself in their journey, is a relatively common theme.

Understanding the processes of living a creative life is indispensable because once you know how to access this secret chamber within your mind, the opportunities to co-create with the universe become infinite. The first stage, the stage of manifesting, is where we transport ourselves from the world we live in now to a world in our imagination. We have to envision it, to feel it, to believe it before we can actually create it. This is such a magical place to be and it is the essence of human creation. Our world as we know it would not exist today if we didn’t possess the ability to “imagine.” Imagination is like liquid gold but it definitely does not exist in the “here and now.” It is otherworldly. It is beyond time and space in the same way a nighttime dream transports you to far away places without ever leaving your bed.

The second stage, living in the reality of the “here and now” is important because this is where we actually get to experience our creations. This is where we make it manifest – where we can touch it, taste it, feel it, smell it. This is where our senses are fully engaged and where we discover what it means to be alive, on this planet, having a human experience.

Whether you’re planning a long awaited journey, a celebratory event, the writing of your first novel or the business of your dreams, the process is all the same. If you’re wanting to live a more creative life these are the rules of the game. This is how you get there. You allow your imagination to flourish then you reign it in and make it real. Then, you sit back and marvel at your creation and at the great ability to bring an idea to fruition. One caveat to this process is this – it never turns out exactly as you imagined so you must leave room for the element of surprise. Let go of the outcome and be enchanted by the journey instead.

The problem for adventure seekers like myself is that we’re already onto the next creative project, the next adventure, when the one before us has barely ripened. And in this case, we miss both the fruits of our labor and the magic of our creative powers, meaning, we’re so busy chasing greener pastures we miss the here and now. We miss the bounty, the beauty and the sweet reward.

There is a question in my circle of friends that goes something like this: Is it more important to “create” or to stand and dwell in our creation? This is something we each have to decide for ourselves but I’ll tell you this much – I’ve been practicing with being in the “here and now” for years and it’s definitely a slippery concept. The allure of what’s “out there” never ceases to enchant me but I know deep inside that what I’m chasing out there, is what already exists right here. I keep lusting after creative journey’s, projects and possibilities I think will keep me awake and alive and yet I quietly realize in all my chasing, I’m missing the opportunity to be both awake and alive right now.

This thing, this life, this rhythm which exists right here, right now, in this time and space we are in, is enough. It always has been. It always will be.

Readers Inquiry:

• In what ways are you seeking outside of yourself that which you already have? That which you already are?
• When do you take time to be present in the “here & now” and how does it enrich you?
• How do you know when what you have and who you are is enough?

“This moment is the moment of reality, of union, of truth. Nothing needs to be done to it or to you for this to be so. Nothing needs to be avoided, transcended, or found for it to be so.” — Da Avabhasa