Oh, hello there, dear creative one…

What? You don’t think you’re creative? Hmm…let’s try something.

How far back can you remember? Were you 4, 5, maybe 6 years old? What are those earliest of memories that have been burned deep within your heart? Maybe it’s the tiniest of memories–the flash of an image, or an event that has played over and over and over again.

For me, that memory was watching my mother walk away and down a long hospital hallway where she had to leave me because I had pneumonia. Back then parents were not allowed to stay with their children. I was just four-years old. I think I grew up a little that day.

For my mom, she has this tiny memory from when she was four. Her dad was picking on her little sister who was in the crib and had her arm hanging over the side. Her dad said he was going to cut that arm off. He was joking but it made an impression on my mom. Maybe she didn’t know he was joking. But that’s the only memory she has of her dad. I know she wishes she had more. He passed away shortly after her one memory.

Memories are funny things. It’s like they sprout wings. They show up when we least expect them, hide sometimes when we want to retrieve them and for reasons we don’t always understand. Why do I remember the one time my mother walked away from me? What about all of the other wonderful memories that I could have kept and revisited?

Now think back in your memory, back when you were a kid. What games did you play? What did you dream you’d grow up to be? What were some of your favorite and most enjoyable things to do?

Did you play doctor? Maybe you played school and you were the teacher? Maybe you were a firefighter? Or an artist? Did you run a grocery store? Were you a singer, a musician, or an actor? As kids we had the best imaginations. Playing, especially imaginative play, was the best thing there was.

So what happened?

When did we lose that creative spark? When did those dreams wither away? You say you still have those dreams but you’ve put them away until you have more time? But when will that be?

Ask yourself this–are you living your best, most creative life? Are you just as creative as you were when you were a kid? I know I’m not. Those dreams were squashed and stomped on a few times. But one day I woke up and I had just had enough. I was tired of living a boring life where I didn’t have time to create anything. I lied to myself for a long time, told myself I’d get to it one day. That day would never come if I didn’t do something about it now.

So what are you waiting on? Create, already! Search your heart, look deep within your soul. What is it that you’d like to say?

Now, find a way to express your dreams creatively. Take an art class. Sign up for music lessons. Create a kitchen garden. Decorate a room. Design a house. Start that business…

You’re never too old or too young. It’s never too late until . . . it is.

Start today.

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