The Freedom of Fun

This is week three of  the twelve week course,The Artist's Way, and I am really enjoying it.
The exercises are interesting and very doable and amazingly effective.

Effective in causing change and freeing up the one participating in the course.  Just what the author, Julia Cameron, had asserted they would do.

Each week you have to do something fun with your artist child and it has to be alone. 
You are not allowed to have a friend tag along!

I didn't get the why of it, but obediently followed the instructions.

Today we went to the movies to see The Lorax.
It is the movie adaption of Dr Seuss' book and I love Dr Seuss!

They didn't use his verse apart from the opening, but it was still entertaining.
It obviously was a movie put together by those who are strongly environmentalists, which would be fine if they didn't depict big business alone as the arch-enemy of nature.

Enough said.

On the way home it dawned on me that I was especially light-hearted.  I felt as carefree as a little child.
Papa and I giggled.  :)
And we sang!

I thanked Him for such a lovely gift.

Another exercise involves recognizing people in my life that are negative; those who poo-poo all my creative ideas.
I couldn't think of anyone....
Until today.

As I drove to the movies, I called a friend that I speak to a few times each week.
(Yes, I have Blue-Tooth!)
She is alone and I like to keep tabs on her.

After a couple of minutes of conversation I needed to hang up, as I found her very depressing.
Every subject I mentioned was met with criticism.
Even my invite for dinner and a movie resulted in more negativity.
This is nothing new and I have been more and more aware of it, yet not like today.
I told her that she was depressing me and I needed to hang up.

Once the call was over I realized that this friend of mine is one of the negative ones in my life.
Does this mean that I will cut her out?
Of course not, but it does mean that I will be more aware when talking with her and also time my calls carefully!
I will look to Papa for wisdom and discernment.

I wonder if this revelation contributed to me feeling so free?

It is exciting to see what else will come from participating in this course!

Meanwhile, I need a little help from my friends.....

I need some fun ideas.

One of the exercises called for making a list of ten activities that I have fun doing.
It wasn't easy.
I think she is looking for something beyond reading, watching a movie and the like....
Dancing did make the list and so did hiking, but I need more ideas!

This reminds me of the Adult-Children of Alcoholics group that I attended back in the eighties.
One of the characteristics of said people is that they are not in touch with their feelings.
The counselor, a kindly priest, helped us construct a list of emotions on the board.
Each week we would add to it and each week when we were asked to share how we felt about something we would look to that list.
Often we would not be certain which word to use.
Together we grew and learned and got in touch with how we felt.
We gave ourselves permission to experience more than anger and fear.

Well, all these years later I am discovering that I need to expand my fun list!
So if anyone wants to make any suggestions, I will be delighted!
As the list grows I will be able to explore what should stay and what should go.

My goal is to be all Papa has intended me and all He has for me to experience.
I know that as He expands my world I will encounter yet more people before whom to represent Jesus.
Now that sounds like a whole lot of fun to me!