Today is 07/23/2023. It’s been 9 months since I posted in this blog, so its high time I wrote something about my creative journey. Hopefully some of my experiences and insights will impact on your own journey in a positive manner.
I experienced a period of a couple of months in the spring of this year during which I was severely limited by sciatic pain. I tried to tough it through for about 4 weeks, keeping the pain secret from my life partner, Patrice, and forcing myself to work through the pain. But that strategy failed. Eventually, I was unable to stand still long enough to make my morning coffee. The only relatively pain free position I could find was sitting in the semi lotus meditation posture. The pain was so persistent that I was unable to sleep many nights. I found that constant pain and lack of sleep had a powerful impact on my mind. I could not concentrate and my habitual urge to be creative vanished.
Finally I began seeing a chiropractor, had session with a massage therapist and enlisted my longtime friend and Reiki Master, Frances Garza to help me with the problem. It took 4 weeks of work but finally I had a pain free day. This was such a relief. I had begun to fear that constant pain had become my new normal.
Prior to the onset of my sciatica, I had been walking around a local lake four times every morning. In May 2023 I was able to continue that routine. I found that 8 weeks of inactivity had really done a number on my muscles. I was weak. It took me about 6 weeks of regular work to regain the muscle tone and body strength I’d had before the sciatica. I went at a measured pace because I was fearful of doing something that would put pressure on the sciatic nerve again and send me right back into that painful limbo.
This unexpected excursion into a state of discomfort over which I had little control had some important impacts on my mental landscape. First, I became much more tolerant of grumpy old people because I understood they are often in a state of ongoing discomfort. My compassion grew. Second, I reevaluated my creative impulses and made a commitment to being more selective about how I used my time. I backed off of the pulp novels I was reading and focused on literature that had a better reputation. I watched less crap on TV.
I am only now getting back into writing and painting. I still love creativity. It is my highest ideal. But I realize, at my age, health is my greatest priority. So now I exercise every single day, walking briskly for an hour and going to the gym three days a week to exercise my upper body musculature. Where I was diving into writing or painting everyday after that first cup of coffee, often getting lost in the process and spending hours at the desk or in the studio, neglecting my body, now I jump into exercise first. Later, after I’ve done my laps and reps I settle into thinking about writing or painting.
I am grateful to have made it through this game-changing challenge and I want to encourage others to find their own solutions to challenges that threaten to take away the joys of creativity. As we get older, its increasingly important to attend to the maintenance of our bodies. I’m 65 this year and I’m looking forward to at least another twenty years of creative output.
Go do something creative today!
BAM Art 