Reset Buttons

I'm not one to make New Year's resolutions. I've rarely, make that never, done a year in review for myself. But I do enjoy the January forced reset button, the yearly artificial construct that gives us a chance to refresh, to try again, to try something new. If you live in the Northeast like me, it's dark early, the routine has gotten a bit stale, and the lingering pandemic, along with the weather, contributes to a lethargy that's sometimes hard to escape. But escape we will!

I've participated in a number of virtual tours online. Places like the Vatican, the Amalfi Coast, the Louvre, are suddenly within reach of our fingertips and just beyond our reading glasses. They take us out of the same old stale place, easing claustrophobia and cabin fever although they do contribute to my and our ever-growing collective screen time. I have some concerns.

To break the monotony I've taken to driving around my neighborhood on roads normally not taken. To see hills instead of meadows, stonewalls instead of fences, and as always, an ocean horizon that makes me feel less enclosed and expands before me. It breaks up the less than a mile away runs to CVS and Big Y which are about the extent of my travels these days, at least my in person travels.

Have you been feeling trapped? In a rut? Stuck?

When you literally can't get out, can't expand your physical surroundings, one suggestion is to instead expand the mind. Consider what author and speaker Brene Brown says, "There is no such thing as creative and non-creative people, only people who use their creativity and people who don't." Maybe it's time to once again use your creativity. Jumpstart it. Get a tune up. Escape into it. Maybe what you need is a trip toward using your creativity.

Join my creative partner in Yes, And . . . Creativity Coaching, Dr. Lisa Kramer, and I for our upcoming workshop Writing With Joy: Creative Explorations. We promise an hour of fun, guided play, calm, and creativity through writing. An environment of support, kind feedback if you want it, and a chance to exercise the creative self who maybe hasn't gotten out to play much lately. Come to our escape. Recharge. Hit the reset button.