Merry Christmas, my friends

First of all, Ash’s novel story is finally up.   Let her know how much you appreciate her efforts, and learn some fascinating cultural stuff at the same time. My story’s finally up too, and thanks to TMT for her advice and editing expertise. It’s value to me is beyond measure. *smooch*

This has been a year of incredible growth for me, and though growth is frequently painful, I also feel incredibly blessed. The community I’ve found among you all has sustained me, and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. Thanks for making me laugh, and cry, and marvel. Your good wishes and loyalty mean more than you know.

Thank you also for the lovely gifts you left under my virtual tree in this year’s Christmas exchange! Fizzy teased me about the idea of a gift exchange being a ploy to take the pressure off of me having to write a Xmas story, but in truth I half-expected that only a couple of you would participate, and that would’ve made me happy in itself. But the lovely generosity of your offerings made me humbly grateful and touched me. Not to mention surprised and delighted me with its variety!

I’ve been immersing myself in the teachings of Brene Brown recently. She’s writer and researcher who teaches that vulnerability and wholehearted living are things to embrace. Just tonight I read this passage about creativity, and it illustrates so perfectly the importance of your contributions that I wanted to share it with you:

Let me sum up what I’ve learned about creativity from the world of Wholehearted living and loving:

1. “I’m not very creative” doesn’t work. There’s no such thing as creative people and non-creative people. There are only people who use their creativity and people who don’t.  Unused creativity doesn’t just disappear. It lives within us until it’s expressed, neglected to death, or suffocated by resentment and fear.
2. The only unique contribution that we will ever make in this world will be born of our creativity.
3. If we want to make meaning, we need to make art. Cook, write, doodle, paint, scrapbook, take pictures, collage, knit, rebuild an engine, sculpt, dance, decorate, act, sing – it doesn’t matter. As long as we’re creating, we’re cultivating meaning.

Letting go of comparison is not a to-do list item.  For most of us, it’s something that requires constant awareness.  It’s so easy to take our eyes off our path to check out what others are doing and if they’re ahead or behind us. Creativity, which is the expression of our originality, helps us stay mindful that what we bring to the world is completely original and cannot be compared. And, without comparison, concepts like ahead or behind, or best or worst lose their meaning.

I so believe this to be true, and each one of you who took the time to write, draw, express appreciation, joke, brat or criticize all contributed to making this space what it is today: a place that honors creativity and nurtures caring. Mahalo nui loa, thank you very much, for that greatest gift of all.

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to each and every one of you. *long hug*