“Big Magic” For Parents

This month’s book for my parent book clubs is Big Magic – Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Yes, she wrote Eat, Pray and Love.) There’s no question this book promotes great and very lively discussion, even if the {heated} talk is around how unrealistic it is to even contemplate bringing creativity and interests into the lives of parents who barely have time to breathe.

And yet one of the outcomes of this book discussion has been, to my joy and amazement, that a parent (one of the very outspoken ones who likes the ideas in the book but feels she must shelve them for another ten years) came up with the idea to volunteer to teach a one-night art workshop for parents in her son’s school. Yes!

The book is already doing it’s magic. Seeping in and reminding us what we love. This parent was an art major, art teacher and loves anything related to art. She brought forth her expertise and shared much of her love of certain artists. At the end of our book discussion she expressed feeling so good just having spoken about it, a place she rarely goes.
When we connect with what we love, with what speaks to us, we come alive! And if we can capture that feeling a bit throughout the week, how much better we would feel, act and live.

My intent for reading this book specifically with parents is to inspire them to reconnect and reclaim bits of themselves, their interests and passions, that get lost in the hectic and laser-focused years of child-rearing while trying to merely survive their work/home juggling act.

We can find the hour. It really means shifting our focus a bit, possibly to ourselves. Yes, that is permissible and even encouraged for the sake of parental sanity.

The idea of bringing forth our strengths, our creative selves, our loves, of taking small amounts of time during the week to engage in what we enjoy, is in essence a gift to our children. They can know us as people too with {outside} delights and talents. Nothing rejuvenates us up more than engaging in things we consider exciting, fun, stimulating, relaxing. And to bring that excitement and joy to our kids is the best form of teaching and modeling that life is awesome, sacred and to be lived well.

“We all need an activity that is beyond the mundane and that takes us out of our established and limiting roles in society (mother, employee, neighbor,brother,boss, etc.)” Big Magic

What is yours?