life=risk

grasping wonder with slippery fingers

Do you know that feeling when you are in the shower and you reach down to pick up the soap, and it just slips out of your fingers? So you try again, this time using both hands, and plop!...there goes the soap flying across the shower floor. And on and on, until finally you grasp the little sucker with your finger nails so it can’t get away. It will do its job for you. When it is done doing its job, and only then, will it be able slip back into its comfortable nook on the shower wall, only to slide off again at your feet, at which point you just leave it there, sitting over the grate letting the rest of your shower water begin to assist in its slow disintegration. You sigh and just let it be. After all, it did what you asked it to do, and you are clean now, so there is no need to go through that whole rigmarole again.

As adults, we often go through our own processes trying to hold onto our own individual creative soaps. We are searching for our voice, learning to create again, or developing a particular style with art, cooking, music, or any number of ways we wish to express ourselves. Oftentimes, we are working to take off layers of upbringing, possibly even addictions or other roads that may have lead us astray from our creative paths. We do it because creativity and being able to uniquely express ourselves is our birthright, but it is often hard work. So how do we rear thoughtful creative children, the kind of children who grow up to be thoughtful creative adults, who are somehow able to continue to nimbly grasp their own true creative, yet slippery, wonder?

Luckily, there’s more than one way to do so, and this little journey we call parenting is as unique as our kids are. Still, if we can release for a moment the urge to control; if we can allow true expression; if we can honor the creative impulses that arise, and do so early and often, then we encourage the creative life we want and strive for ourselves.

So it is later in the afternoon and you walk into the bathroom. The shower curtain is still pulled back and you see that the soap is still guarding the grate, just as you left it. You reach down again and easily pluck the soap up and place it back on the shelf. It stays put. A second later your out-loud, expressive, energetic, creative kid goes running down the hallway dressed as the super-human master of the underworld, flaming red scarves trailing behind. The energy settles on your whole being, and you smile, because maybe, just maybe, when he grows up he won’t have such a hard time holding onto his soap.

come together, right now: building a community that cares for our children

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed. It is the only thing that ever has."
~ Margaret Mead

We live in a unique time in history. It is one rich with strife and angst, but also opportunity, joy, and creativity. It is what we choose to focus on and nurture that will carry our children through their lives. It is in the act of building and nurturing a community, or "common unity" as it were, that children (and adults) will learn and internalize that people are not isolated from one another, but rather that we are all interconnected. So what can we do about it?

Stop at Every Lemonade Stand. In our home, we have a motto we do our best to live by: Stop at every lemonade stand. We make a concerted effort to support the efforts of the children we see working towards a goal. Sometimes that means we are literally stopping at lemonade stands, sometimes we are purchasing arts and crafts a child might be selling at the market, or sharing our spare change with a child practicing his violin at the farmer's market. Sometimes it just means taking an interest in what our neighbor's children are reading. If we are going to create a culture and community that cares for our children, it has to begin with them. And we have to show them that we support their interests.

Join together. As Gandhi suggested, we must "be the change we wish to see in the world". As parents seeking to offer our kids a model of community building and active engagement with our community, we must then find ways in which to come together. If the first step to create community starts with our own community in our homes, then as a family we can do simple things, such as garden together, dine together, and share what we learn each day. From there, we can take our community out of the home. Greet and talk to your mailman each day. Try sitting on your front porch instead of playing in the backyard and see who you meet and can offer a smile to. The next time you bake cookies, bake a few extra and deliver them with your children. Find other ways to connect with the people you live close to (but may not often spend time with or know well): plan a neighborhood potluck or progressive dinner (where appetizers are served at one house, salad at the next, and so on until you get to dessert). Help to organize a block party or a multi-neighbor yard sale. The possibilities for connecting with your neighbors and other people in your community are endless.

Get Involved. Many communities are rich with outreach programs that help children feel more connected to the many different people they live amongst.

Some of the things our family has done to help connect with others in our community have included playing games with elders at a senior center and helping out at the community garden that grows and harvests food for the local soup kitchens. If you are unsure what kinds of opportunities exist in your community for such things, ask for resources at your local library or chamber of commerce. The more you can help connect your children to the needs of her local community, the more you will help to nurture a community that cares for your children.

Connect with All the Faces of Your Community. More and more these days, we are hearing about people wanting to connect with "like-minded" people, and attempting to create community that way. But it seems that in many ways, the opposite can happen, and that when we are only connecting with people we consider to be like ourselves, we are causing separation and divide from the others in our community. Herein lies the real challenge: to connect with all the faces of our community, to learn to understand each other and our multi-facetted perspectives, and appreciate each of our unique journeys so that we may travel the road together for the greater good of humanity.

I feel especially fortunate to be living in this time: one that is rich with wonder, learning, and opportunity for connection in a myriad of ways. From our home communities reaching outward, it is with conscious and deliberate effort that I believe we can create a world that is more commonly united. And nothing feels like it could be more important.

Body, Mind and Child!

I had the distinct pleasure of a recent interview with Rae Pica, host of BAM! radio. You can download or listen to it here.



In the meantime, I hope this fall finds you climbing all sort of haystacks with a curious mind.

Daydreaming is important work!

"Although there are many anecdotal stories of breakthroughs resulting from daydreams - Einstein, for instance, was notorious for his wandering mind - daydreaming itself is usually cast in a negative light. Children in school are encouraged to stop daydreaming and "focus," and wandering minds are often cited as a leading cause of traffic accidents. In a culture obsessed with efficiency, daydreaming is derided as a lazy habit or a lack of discipline, the kind of thinking we rely on when we don't really want to think. It's a sign of procrastination, not productivity, something to be put away with your flip-flops and hammock as summer draws to a close.

In recent years, however, scientists have begun to see the act of daydreaming very differently. They've demonstrated that daydreaming is a fundamental feature of the human mind - so fundamental, in fact, that it's often referred to as our "default" mode of thought. Many scientists argue that daydreaming is a crucial tool for creativity, a thought process that allows the brain to make new associations and connections."

Read the whole article in the Boston Globe here.

Evaluating Marketing to Children (and encouraging creativity in the process)

We know that children are now marketed to like never before. As well, they are inundated with marketing and fast paced imagery and spend more time with media than ever before. It has also been proven that children before the age of 8 (and sometimes 10) cannot distinguish between media-related fantasy and reality. That said, popular culture can be creative, but we need quiet spaces for creativity to emerge. And in order to get to that creative space, we first need to simply look at what our children are exposed to. Here are a few quick questions to ask when evaluating media use and marketing to our children.

How often are children exposed to marketing in...
-The foods you eat?
-The places you shop?
-The music you listen to?
-Computer use?
-The games they play?
-Organizations your involved in?

Do kids have an opportunity to...
-Play outside?
-In natural environments?
-Choose quiet time?
-Activate all their senses?
-Have unstructured, imaginative play?
-Witness questioning?

Getting Out of the Way of Imagination

A woman came up to me in town today and said, "I've been reading your book! My kids are so imaginative... I just need to remind myself to get out their way."

So wise.

It's so very easy to over guide, over stimulate, and over schedule our children right out of their creativity. And sometimes we find that when we just step aside and listen from the next room, let them solve some of their own problems, and say a little less now and again - we then find an ever-blossoming imagination!

Happy wondering!

Climbing the Walls

Zeal has spent the week climbing all sorts of walls, indoors and out.

How wonderful to see a child "touch the top" of whatever it is they are working towards.

In this case, as I've mentioned before, I feel that climbing all sorts of things is a pretty valuable skill towards creative development.


Now, we’re off to run with the wolves.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I'm feeling creatively inspired by the world right now, and here's a small list of things that are lighting my fire. At the end of this post, please do share what you love and the things that feed you and your family creatively.


Long Drives.
When I was a child, Sunday afternoons were reserved for a family drive, usually to nowhere interesting to us kids. I’ll never forget the time our fuel pump was shook loose way out in Wabuska, Nevada (I have no idea what’s there now, but back in the 70’s there was absolutely nothing there except an old abandoned bar and a closed down plastic factory.)
Even today, I just love putting Zeal in the car and taking a drive into the country. Luckily, I married a man who also appreciates such a drive. And Zeal is amiable, as well. We always seem to emerge from our drives with a renewed appreciation for the land and each other, as well as feeling creatively re-inspired. Here’s a photo of the sunset on a recent long haul.



Sleeping Children.
I love them when they are awake too, but there is something very special (and angelic) about a child sleeping. And I absolutely love the moments of waking when they are so cuddly and open to sharing their dreams, a story or a song, which I suppose leads me to the next one.


















Early Mornings.
It’s been a long while since I have stayed up all night to greet the sunset (a sign that I am getting older). Still, the mornings give me space and quiet to let my thoughts settle. The early morning quiet is my time. Everyone needs to find their time: the time of day when they are most creative, most productive, most settled. When is your time?

A Good Cup of Coffee.
When I was a child, there was always a pot of coffee on in the house, and our kitchen was a bit of a gathering place. As I grew and traveled, and lived overseas in Indonesia and India, I became enamored by these ways of preparing this very special drink I was always surrounded with and coffee became a part of my ritual of those early mornings. Now that I am pregnant again, I will just have to settle for my red raspberry leaf and nettle tea. Luckily, I have a good excuse to put my feet up and enjoy it. Zeal will show you how (doing so in our front yard tree).
























Nighttime Summer Hikes.



















A Clean House.
I hate cleaning, and while I absolutely and totally appreciate a good productive mess, I love love love a clean house and the feeling of peace it brings over everyone who dwells here. Lately, we’ve been spending so much time outdoors that the house is keeping fairly clean. And that just feels so good.

A Book to Write in.
I always keep a book going of sketches, stories, article ideas, and other random words. Here are this year’s books, now totally filled. I guess I need (get!) to go shopping!


















Now it's your turn... what's inspiring you?

Update on Child of Wonder!

I've just received word that my new book, Child of Wonder: Nurturing Creative and Naturally Curious Children will come off the presses this week, and will be shipped on Friday!
If you are interested in ordering your autographed copy, you can do it through my website, www.gingercarlson.com (all pre-orders before March 15th, get free shipping!)