Wisdom comes from unexpected sources

This morning, I thought I would never get going.  It was one of those mornings when all I wanted to do was pull the covers back over me, close my eyes, and drift into hours of blissful nothingness.  Instead, I sloshed down some coffee, and picked out a lime green and hot pink skirt with orange and purple accents and sequins to go with a hot pink top.  Believe me, the skirt was the only thing that was sparkling.

 I dragged myself off to school.  Then, during a fourth grade art class, a student came up to share her sketchbook work.  (We have ten wonderful, silent minutes at the beginning of every class, provided so that each student can float away into his or her mind, totally absorbed in their own creative thoughts.)  This is always fascinating, to see what they are drawing about and pondering, and how theyy solve visual dilemmas.  The piece that was shared was so wise, I copied it down to share with you.  The page was divided into a grid, and the left diagonal space had a pattern of blue squares.  The right side was white, the boxes filled with letters that spelled out this thought:  "When you paint a picture, it sometimes tells a story, because art is in the human mind, not in the picture itself." 

I was trying to remember if I had deep thoughts like that when I was 10.  I remember being kind of a loner and very contemplative, in addition to being smitten by the dark good looks of a boy in my grade.  A memory just came to me about wandering the outfield area of our new playgound, where there was a long, cement drainage ditch, filled with water and a film of mud, and tadpoles of all sizes were swimming around in there.  I was mesmerized.  I think I spent most of my growing-up school recesses wandering and thinking and noticing things.  Perhaps that was the beginning of the creative consciousness I have developed over the years.

Today I have included links to authors who have been influential in my thinking about creativity.  I'd love to hear your comments!

Blessings--Miss Elainie