Pushing Through

Sometimes it's easier when there is no choice in the matter.

When you have a predetermined work schedule and you must be at a defined place at a set time ... you do it. You may not want to do it. But you do. Approximately eight hours later ... your work day is done. Complete. Over.

Appointments. You are told where to be and what time. You simply follow the instructions. It may not be ideal, but you do what has to be done. You work around it.

Then there is the housework. It's amazing that a person can get the job done if there is a reason to do it. When I know I have company coming, I have the desire, drive and endurance to simply do the work (you've gotta love 'surprise parties' ... a most excellent excuse to skip the housecleaning and go straight to the fun!).

Cooking. Oh my gosh. Cooking. Cooking is my nemesis. Survival cooking is what I do best. Yet, when my heart is in it, I can produce a meal that is not only edible ... but is actually tasty as well (trust me, that has not been the case in the past few months).

The act of cooking starts to blur the line. It is necessary and required. Yet ... there is an artistic and creative flair that pushes the limits. I can pull out a frozen entree, cook it, place it on the table and it is consumed. We survive. But when I actually take the time to choose a menu, cook from scratch and orchestrate a meal so that flavors, textures and colors are part of the process ... something changes.

There is nothing more mouth watering than the aroma of your favorite food cooking. The old fashioned way - in the oven. Fast food, microwave entrees, quick frozen-to-table food doesn't give your taste buds an opportunity to anticipate the meal.

Utilizing your creativity and passion is something that doesn't happen on demand (at least not for me). I write when the spirit moves me (which is normally first thing in the morning). I come up with creative little projects one small piece at a time ... and one day it all seems to come together. If I push the creative process, it shows. It looks/reads/'smells' as bad as a meal I cook under duress.

These past days have been heavenly.

Day #1 - My definition of a most perfect day! I did what was required to do. I ran errands, went to my Bellyfit class and put in a four hour work day before I participated in a fun dance event and outing ... then a completely and totally unexpected surprise party awaited me upon my return home.

Day #2 - breakfast with my family who had travelled and gone out of their way to all be part of this celebration. I didn't waste the mood on housework, errands or bookkeeping after they left. I sat still with my memories and followed the flow of the day. The creative juices were beginning to flow.

Day #3 - back to work. As luck would have it, I was required to go to work and then wait for my boss to attend a meeting and return with more work. I didn't have enough work to keep me occupied. So I grabbed some paper and a pen ... and I wrote. Thank-you notes started flowing from my fingertips with ease. The words came easily. All I had to do was write. So I did.

Day #4 - ended up revolving around a project that I was doing for a friend. A project that I was trying to squeeze into the time available. Evenings and weekends. A project that required creativity and forethought. A project with a deadline.

I forced my way through this project. Just to get it started. My next attempt added some small touches that helped. It wasn't until I started getting feedback that the creative juices started to flow. And when they did, I simply couldn't stop the momentum to put in a 'required' work day.

I can push my way through numbers, deadlines and necessities of my job(s). I can't push my way through writing or putting together something that has some feeling behind it.

When the creative juices flow, I love to be able to follow the current and go with it.

That is what I have done this week.

Now, I simply must push through and do the work.