Journey Juju

The Graceful Return for Veterans

2009-11-11T10:27:35-07:00

I wrote The Graceful Return: Relish Your Journey After You've Come Home with travelers in mind. I believe the principles in the book are suitable for those who have been on an extended trip or a short vacation. When I was considering who else might benefit from it, I thought of Veterans returning from duty. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to try to return to a normal life after living war. It must be incredibly difficult to reconcile all the experiences with life back home. There must be an enormous emotional and mental

I can only hope that veterans returning home would access mental health professional help. I also know the value of using art as an aid to process experiences. Writing, photography, and other simple tools can help sort and order stories. In-person gatherings and online blogs and photo sharing sites are venues to easily share stories in creative ways.

These suggestions and others are in my e-book, The Graceful Return: Relish Your Journey After You've Come Home. While I wouldn’t call a stint in Iraq or Afghanistan an adventure, I do think the tools in this guide to the return can contribute to making the transition easier.

The Graceful Return is available as an immediate download at the Original Impulse online store.

My Graceful Return

2009-11-09T18:12:00-07:00

Words spilling out after my return

On the night I returned from my five-week trip to Europe, the family I live with was hosting a pumpkin carving party. By the time I arrived from Paris, they were done carving and were enjoying dinner. I sat down, gave headlines from the trip and ate a bowl of curried squash soup. It was a beautiful and autumnal return from a long and challenging trip.

This may have been the most difficult trip I have ever taken. Honestly I am surprised I made it the entire five weeks. But that’s another story; it would be great if I could turn it into a screenplay. I see it as a movie starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Cruise. :) It was also a trip full of unexpected delights, abundant insights and deep learning.

For me, travel almost always presents opportunities to learn and grow beyond my perceived capacity. Think personal growth boot camp, made palatable by tons of beauty and many joyous moments and lots of good food and drink.

So, upon my return, what to do with the complex mix of impressions, thoughts and emotions from one crazy and intense journey?

I’m using the tools from my e-book The Graceful Return to process the insights and learning from my trip. While on the road, I spent a lot of time reflecting on my work and what I want to share with my clients and readers in coming years. Mr. B, a successful businessman, gave me a lot of feedback (some painful - think dry shave and you get it). I’m busy sorting through it all to develop my work.

Recovering from a Mobile Lifestyle

From Part One of The Graceful Return, I’m using several of the self-care practices I recommend. I’m talking about my experiences with good friends, who are helping me unpack and understand what I experienced. I’m making sure to exercise and eat nourishing foods. Most importantly, I spend time each day reflecting on the lessons from my trip. My notebook is packed with wildly enthusiastic notes and sketches. I also know that this process takes time and I may still be gathering insights months and even years later.

The Original Impulse home office

I’m still relishing the slower pace that travel allows. I am able to stay in bed a bit longer in the morning, giving myself more time to transition from rest to action. Even though I’m back in the office full time and making dates with friends and colleagues, I have a sense of spaciousness. I’ve let go of some of the urgency to ‘make the most of my time.’ My usual efficiency was one of the things I had to let go of while traveling with someone else. Time slips away. We don’t always maximize every moment. Those unproductive hours actually contribute to my creativity more than I can know. I trust that I am spending my time in exactly the best way for me.

I’m surprised by the things that comfort and nurture me now. I love reading The New Yorker while eating breakfast and lunch. I relish the ability to get a healthy snack by merely walking downstairs. The repetitive, mundane task of loading and unloading the dishwasher continues to give me basic daily pleasure. (It’s like some kind of pet!)

I was delighted to discover (from the depths of a year and a half of storage) that I have a solid winter sock, glove, scarf and hat collection. Things I haven’t worn since 2007 are emerging to keep me warm for this winter at home.

Attuned to receiving the abundant beauty and grace I experienced in Europe, I seem to feel more. I feel the soft comfort of my bed, and relish knowing that this bed is not one that hosted a parade of other weary travelers and all their energy. I am delighted to be back to my home spa routine, lavishing my body with lotions and potions and care and love. I relish simple, sensual pleasures like the light in my studio and the vibrancy of my succulent collection.

Using Art to Process My Experiences

Part Two of The Graceful Return shares some simple art making tools that are definitely helping me glean more from this journey. Over five weeks and four countries, I ingested thousands more new impressions per day compared with how much new input I get while at home. Where do all those impressions live? And how can I get at least a few of them out to serve my creativity? They swirl around in my psyche until I tease them out.

Art making helps me make new and fresh associations. While putting the finishing touches on my illustrated travel journal, I noticed how my thoughts sifted around the edges of my awareness. Focusing on adding color, borders and gluing in ephemera gave my active mind something to focus on. This allowed unexpected ideas to emerge and connect in ways they would not if I were trying to associate them in an orderly or logical way. The soft focus on making meaning from my trip allowed insights to emerge naturally.

Of course I am using my favorite creative tool, writing, and I joined my Free Write Fling to ensure I had a daily dose of it. I developed a list of 50 prompts, things about my trip I wanted to capture on paper. When I go to do the free writing, however, I let myself write whatever comes up. Again, I find that this soft focus reveals new associations that I would not necessarily make if I forced myself to stay on topic.

Listing is one of the tools in The Graceful Return, and I’m finding it very helpful. Even if I don’t write about these topics, my lists help me to not forget moments that might otherwise be forgotten.

I’m also stretching and trying new media. I had so much fun putting together my Fitness for Travelers video series. I was thrilled at how easy it was to use the Flip camcorder to record and edit the short videos.

Sorting through all 1,000+ photos, I noticed patterns and put together a photo essay, Rodeo Luggage. I have ideas for others, so stay tuned.

There’s much, much more for me to process. I’m glad that I wrote a guide to making the most of any journey, since I need it! I’ll be sharing more here the insights about the creative process that I gained from this incredible journey.

If you want to make the most of your journeys (or any transition, for that matter!), pick up a copy of The Graceful Return: Relish Any Journey After You’ve Come Home. This e-book is available online and is downloadable immediately.

Fitness for Travelers: Someone Else Exercising

2009-11-08T23:11:00-07:00

Cynthia Morris

Fitness For Travelers: Dressage

2009-11-06T05:08:00-07:00

Cynthia Morris

Let Your Muse Lead the Holidays

2009-11-04T11:52:00-07:00

At this time of year, my Muse begins to get a little squirrely. The holidays loom, a season laden with expectations and traditions that I don’t necessarily want to participate in. With tradition and obligation on the horizon, my Muse often wants to rebel and go her own way. If your creative self feels restricted by holiday expectations, try something different this year. Let your Muse lead the way in your holiday decisions.

When considering your plans for the holidays, be creative. Here are ten ways to be proactive this season, so you and your creativity can thrive even at holiday time.

1. Big picture Start by considering what kind of holidays you want this year. Think of an adjective to describe how you want to feel. Peaceful? Grateful? Connected? Make some notes about your intention. From that intention you can look at the following ways to enjoy your holidays with your Muse leading the way.

2. Food Don’t go like a zombie toward foods you don’t really want just because they’re ‘holiday treats’. If you don’t really like the cranberry sauce or the sugar cookies, choose what you do like. Take traditional foods and tweak them to make them more healthful or reflective of your tastes and/or local produce. Set an intention for how you want to eat (mindfully, with gusto, only foods you really want…)

3. Friends How do you want to connect with your friends? I most enjoy the holiday season for the time I spend with friends reflecting on how we’ve enriched each other over the year. My friends are one of my biggest gifts and when we get together during the holidays, I make sure to acknowledge the impact they’ve had on me and thank them. Jot down the names of friends you really want to connect with and make plans that are meaningful to both of you.

4. Family Holiday family gatherings can bring a sense of obligation and even dread. Try looking to the characteristics you get from your family that you are proud of and that serve you in your life and creativity. Make a list and then thank your family members for giving you these gifts. Focus on what you love, not how your dad drives you crazy with his TV watching.

5. Gift giving While I love giving gifts, I hate the obligation to give that accompanies the holidays. I prefer my gift giving to be more spontaneous and based on finding the perfect gift and matching it with the giver. What’s true for you and gift giving? Take time to consider what you really want to give. It may not be the old standbys!

6. Assess the year The end of the year provides a natural marker for reflecting on your year. Spend some time considering your wins, your disappointments, your insights. I’ll post a worksheet on the blog later this month to help you assess your year so next year can be even better.

7. Money Get real with your finances. How much do you want to spend? Many people get in financial trouble because they spend from their heart and not their bank account. Take a look at how much money do you have to spend on gifts and holiday hoo-haw and then determine where you’ll allocate your funds.

8. Creative time Time seems more crunched than ever during the holidays, but that doesn’t mean you have to let your Muse languish. Try to maintain even the thinnest thread of connection to your projects. Time spent with your Muse will provide fuel for your other activities.

9. Treats The holidays provide a great time to indulge. Rather than mindlessly taking in anything that appears as a treat, consider what’s truly a treat for you. What’s a treat you can give yourself? A piece of pie with extra whipped cream? A visit to the massage therapist or local museum? I treat myself with time in the bookstore or in my favorite shop, Two Hands Paperie in Boulder. I don’t necessarily spend money, but I gain inspiration from the beautiful books and paper products.

10. Celebrate The holidays are meant to be a time to celebrate but that intention can get lost in the rampant commercialism and sense of obligation that looms. What’s one thing you want to celebrate this year?

How are you expressing your creativity this holiday season? Drop a comment below to share your Muse’s inspiration.

This article is part of my year-long series of top ten lists to celebrate ten years in business at Original Impulse. Stay tuned until the end of the year when I bring all the articles together in one place for your creative enhancement. Subscribe to Impulses for free.