Jet lag worked in our favor earlier this week allowing my husband and I to join a sunrise Thai Chi session we would have otherwise slept through. The elderly but spry Thai Chi master greeted us with a subtle grin as we tiptoed to our places and assumed “White Crane” position ironically juxtaposed with the iconic metal cranes developing the skyline behind us.
Our fellow early risers swayed in unison to the harmony of the music as we embraced the chi together. Each movement gracefully flowed to the next while fear and stress dissolved at our fingertips making room for positive energy to enter our souls. For a brief moment, we experienced the yingyang balance in body and spirit.
While the class was a memorable experience, I was most stuck by the Thai Chi master’s closing remark, “Take care of your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” I stopped to reflect on the weight of this statement.
As a woman, I am programmed to take care…take care of my husband, take care of my children, take care of my responsibilities…but do I take time to take care of my heart? What does this even look like? Was the Thai Chi master referring to taking care of the physical, emotional, or spiritual heart?
Perhaps all three…leading me to three further questions…
Is there a parallel between taking care of our hearts and carving out time and space to develop one’s creative gifts?
Could our creative gifts be our heart’s most authentic expression and wellspring of life?
Will developing creative habits allow us to live more balanced and authentic lives, thus helping us better care for our own hearts and the hearts of those we love?
I bow my head in reverent quietness realizing my heart already knows the answer.
~Proverbs 4:23~