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Program Notes, a Beach Walk, and Mandalas

For some reason, that phrase from the Needlepoint Show program- “a meditative opportunity…” - has given me a lot of food for thought. (see the original 4/26 post:
http://creativelifesampler.blogspot.com/2018/04/on-first-page-4-of-5-in-program-for.html )

meditation: continued or extended thought; reflection; contemplation

I had been looking at the process of creating as the activity of producing something. I enjoyed the planning stages of a project, the choices of materials, the application of my skills, but my goal was the end result. Asked if I thought I was “meditating” at my sewing machine or with my handwork, I would have answered honestly: not really. Maybe that was because I usually had some kind of background noise going, to “keep me company”.

Then again, I get a lot of teasing from some family members about how focused I become in the middle of a project, to the exclusion of all other activities: dishes go unwashed, laundry piles up fabric scraps and thread litter the floor. (You get the idea.) Maybe this focused attention could be considered meditation. And lately I’ve been turning off the noise to appreciate these moments.


So, we went back for a beach walk along the stretch where I’d taken photos for earlier posts. (3/18-23)  I was keeping my eyes open for the rock structures from our first walk and they weren’t there. 
(See http://creativelifesampler.blogspot.com/2018/03/pretty-cool-huh-these-pictures-were.html) 
Just as I thought at the time, they had been temporary creations. 

 We did find a new one. I took a quick pic as we kept walking. On our way back to the car, we found that someone had demolished this arch, like a child tearing down building blocks. Now, normally I would have been a bit sad that this creation no longer existed, maybe even angry that someone destroyed it. But, with this concept of creating as an opportunity to meditate, I had a vision of its architect focused on his process, choosing the right stones, planning and executing his work. And it was suddenly clear that the arch, or the quilt, or whatever the end result of our efforts, was only the happy, tangible outcome of a meditative, creating activity. The enriching part is the process itself, because, let's be frank, every product is temporary in the "vast scheme of things".

Shortly thereafter, I got this link in my email in-box. It is a time lapsed video of Tibetan Monks creating a Mandala over a 5 day period:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GA3su0ECdPc&feature=youtu.be

I think I'll still feel gratified when a project is finished, and enjoy using it or sharing it, but I'm gaining a new appreciation for the journey in getting there.

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