Blog 2: Debbie Does Big Magic!

Dear Diary,

As mentioned in my previous blog, (where I re-introduced myself to the world), there's a lot I want to talk about! Very shocking, I know. I've always been a talker, a story teller and kind of a smart ass. When I was in elementary school, the teachers would constantly ask me to move my desk to the corner because I didn't know how to "keep quiet." So, I would pass notes to my friends instead. In high school, when it was "study time," I would write letters to you, Diary. As you know, it was always super important stuff like, who my celebrity crush was that week (Brandon Walsh, mostly), whether I should wear my kilt to school the next day or my pants (pants; always pants) and whether I should have a beef patty on a bun with coleslaw from the cafeteria for lunch. Or maybe I should just eat what my mother packed me instead; Nutella on a Portuguese bun. When I was done writing, I'd rip the page out of my notebook, fold it into a little triangle and create that popular corner fold for protection. Then, I'd pop it into my decorated memory box when I got home, aka shoe box.

I remember a specific time in English class, looking up at the teacher and wondering, "What is Mr. Payne doing up there during study time anyway?" Yes, I had a teacher named Mr. Payne. One day, I made the mistake of jokingly saying, "Mr. Payne is a pain." I giggled and so did my friends. He did not like that at all! He yelled at me in front of everyone and said it was never okay to make fun of someone's name and then he called me pathetic! True story. It's not okay to make fun of someone's name. He's right. I get that. But also, I was just a fourteen year old kid. Was it right for him to call me pathetic in front of the whole class? Probably not, but I just laughed it off and continued writing. I knew his comment wasn't about me. He was lashing out because he'd probably been hurt many times before because of his unfortunate name. He was just in pain; pun intended. And now I had more creative names for him anyway. Speaking of creative names, we had a gym teacher in high school who's name was Mr. Hunt. We called him Mike. I know. Kids ...

Apparently, this passion of mine to speak my mind and story tell came at a very early age. When I was three years old, I'm told that we went to Marine Land with the family. If you're two years old or younger, you get in for free, so of course my money-saving mother told the attendant that I was two. Well, this little smart ass said, "I'm three! I just turned three last week. We had a party, remember?!" Oh Lord, my poor mother, (just trying to save some dough). I don't blame her. I once hid in the backseat of my friend's car, to get in to a drive-in movie for free. Hmmm ... I wonder where my money saving ideas come from. Anyway, back to three year old me. My mother said that the attendant laughed and said, "Are you sure she's only 3?" She let me in for free anyway because she thought it was hilarious. Even though I'm sure my mom was embarrassed, I'm sure deep down she was proud of her little smart ass (or she wouldn't keep telling this story).

You're probably wondering about the picture and title of this blog; Big Magic. After reading this book in a few days (couldn't put it down), so many of the concepts really resonated with me. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, who also wrote Eat, Pray, Love is super human it seems! She has a beautiful way with words. There's a very interesting chapter, where she discusses creative ideas. Let's see if I can explain this properly. Say, you have a creative idea for a cake recipe. Maybe it comes to you in a dream, maybe it just hits you out of nowhere while you're driving, or maybe you somehow come up with the idea simply because you saw something similar that inspired you but your creation is a little bit different and that's what makes it unique. Whatever way the idea has landed in your lap doesn't matter. What matters is, "are you going to bake the cake?" Or, are you going to think about it for years and not do anything about it? Then one day, you're flipping through a magazine and see your cake idea! WTF?! That's my cake. Yes, maybe. But you didn't take the action to bake it. The thought came to you, and you swept it under the rug, and the idea faded and was passed along to another creator. And that's not a bad thing! Maybe the idea was meant for someone else, and the fact that you saw your cake in a magazine was a cool reminder that you have the power to create something awesome, and next time, you will!

Gilbert also discusses the idea, that every human has creative energy and by "letting it flow" we inspire ourselves to simply enjoy the present moment. Do you ever notice that when you're "in your zone," doing something you love, time just flies by?! Do more of that! And, not with the intention to be rich and "make money doing what you love so you don't have to work a day in your life." How many times have you heard that? But simply, to create! We are constantly told that if we don't do what we love and make a career out of it, (making money through our passions) then we are not enough and should feel bad about ourselves. I do agree that hating our job does suck and if that's the case, we should make a change or stop complaining (just sayin')! But, no matter what job we have or don't have, we can still use inspired ideas to be creative, whether we get paid for it or not. If you play an instrument and sing in a band, but your band never "makes it" are you going to stop playing? The issue, is that if Hollywood or whoever, doesn't embrace our creativity by paying us huge amounts of money, then we should stop living and give up what we love. All or nothing. No! When we create "just because" we open up our intuitive energy and attract good vibes and in turn, we feel good! Period. And if you happen to get paid loads of money for your creative genius accomplishments, that's awesome! But, if you don't, do it anyway! What inspires you? Maybe you play an instrument, or have always wanted to, maybe you draw, paint, write, sing, bake, garden, make up games for children, decorate your kitchen, or move things around in your home. These all begin with an inspired idea to create!

This book has inspired me to write again; just because! I mean, I write in my diary pretty much every day anyway, so why not share?! It's fun to get the creative juices flowing again in a different capacity. It's taken me a few weeks to get this second blog out, I know. I vow to write and share more often! I'll share a little something about what my "Dear Diary" entries have been about lately. I have a daily gratitude journal exercise, where I write down five things that I'm grateful for in the morning and five things that I'm grateful for, just before bed. I look forward to that every day and when I look back, I do repeat things, but hey repetition is powerful. Having an attitude of gratitude is life changing. I'll talk more about that in a future blog.

Since I've been off of work since March, I've taken this time to really slow down, pause, evaluate and focus on myself; my blessings, my challenges and my overall journey. This picture captures a moment in time, taken from my balcony in the south west end of Toronto. I am enjoying a smoothie, this Big Magic book and sunshine (and yes, that's a nail file being used as a bookmark). Stay tuned for more. I'm currently reading a book called "In the Flo," and am loving it! Ladies, the next blog's for you! But for now, I just wanted to say, create something! I was inspired by this book to set up my blog again and to write this entry. What inspires you? If you think you're not creative, please send me an email and I'll prove you wrong. ;) Until next time, get those creative juices flowing and share them with me if you'd like! I'd love to hear from you!

Ciao for now

YogaDebb :)