Marking Time
I have a quilt in my studio that reads “The time spent in your studio gets added to the end of your life.” I love that idea. The more time you spend doing things that make you happy, the longer (and more fulfilling) your life will be. It makes sense doesn’t it? The happier we are, the less stressed we feel. The less stress we feel, the better our overall health. The better our health, the longer our life.
Yet, how many times have you said to yourself, I wish I could get into my studio more? Or walk in nature more? Or eat healthier foods more? Or travel more? What is it that you want more of? Because I promise you that if you make the effort and commit the time to doing things that make you happier - you will actually be happier. Who knew?
So this year I started to think about how I could give myself a visual time marker to remind myself of my commitment to creating more happiness. Or at least to my commitment to engaging in activities I love doing. Here is what I came up with.
I wanted to spend more time in my studio. I thought about marking a calendar with an X or a heart each day that I worked in my studio. It didn’t inspire me. I wasn’t going to purchase a special calendar for this practice and it felt like a prisoner awaiting their release would do the same thing. The needle on the happiness meter didn’t move. I thought about what I love. I love color. I love circles. I love collecting things.
I rummaged through the studio and found a very large bag of marbles. Then I found a clear glass vase. Each day when I go into the studio, I take a marble and add it to the vase. It seems simple, but it’s a colorful reminder that sits at the entrance of my studio. In January it was kinda sad to see only a couple marbles. And I traveled for three and a half weeks so no marbles got added. But, now there are a fair amount of marbles in there. And I see that the accumulation of marbles is also an accumulation of time. Not surprisingly, I also have completed eleven pieces of art and have several other ones in process.
Here are some other ways I give myself a reminder of happy things. I have a bowl of stones I’ve collected from various places I’ve travelled. Everything from the red rocks of the American southwest to stones from Watertown, Ireland and everywhere in between. I love looking at them. Travel is one of my favorite things to do and bringing home a rock from different places feels very satisfying. Once my husband complained and I asked him if he’d prefer I bought myself expensive jewelry from every place we travelled. I never heard a complaint about the rocks again. I will say that one rock I wish I had was volcanic rock from Hawaii. But, local lore there is that if you take any volcanic rock off the island, Pele, the Godess of fire will cast bad luck your way. I didn’t take any chances.
Here are some other things I am considering. How do I mark each time I take a hike or spend time in nature? I’m currently looking for a reasonably long stick that is fairly straight and not too skinny. I’m thinking I would paint a ring of color around it each time I return from an adventure out and over time I would have a really colorful reminder of my many walks. Then when I run out of room for paint rings, I get to go on the adventure of finding another really good stick.
I already have an extensive shell collection. It seems that I can’t go the the beach without looking for sea treasure. I would like to find a way to use the abundance of shells for something as a reminder of all my seaside adventures. I’m open to suggestions if you have any.
Last night we had friends over for dinner. I made a simple supper - no standing over the stove for hours. They appreciated the meal and we got to have a really good catch up on each other’s lives. It inspires me to do it again and invite some people who I haven’t had a chance to see in a while. Because friends are the people who make your life happier. I’m not sure how to mark every time I host friends for dinner or brunch or whatever. But I’m thinking about how I could mark the time well spent in some way. Not because I’m competitive, because I am soooo not. But just because the visual record of good times and friendships seems like something worth remembering.
What is it that you love to do? How often do you make the effort and commit the time to doing it? I get it. We’re busy and making another effort can seem like too much. But, I swear that you will be rewarded with more joy. You will thank yourself and have more to be grateful for.
Thanks for being here. Writing is something I enjoy and this blog is a public reminder of my thoughts around creativity. I hope you find a way to remind yourself of your favorite things. I wish you inspiration and happiness in each day.