When was the last time you allowed your imagination to run wild and your spirit to roam free in the middle of adulting? Breathe deeply into this query and allow it to reveal buried treasures waiting for an opportunity to escape the daily monotony.
We are a kaleidoscope of complicated intricacies. A million different facets of light and darkness.
~K.M. Keeton
At the beginning of the month, I injured both knees in one of my aerobic classes. This disruptive and awakening experience has heightened my appreciation for an often-overlooked body part. As an introvert, I am fascinated by the galaxies of goodness cradled in the stillness of solitude. This was a divine invitation to slow down and detox from the inside out.
Recently, after twenty-two days of healing with an ice pack and heating pad, I was able to walk five thousand steps in my city with minimal pain. I often tell clients, “A win is a win! I will take them in all sizes: small, medium, and galactic.”
For this nature walk, I decided to break away from my favorite trails. I left my rambunctious black and white poodle, Queenie home sitting in the window. Once I parked my car and chose the path, I welcomed curiosity as my guide. Armed with water, a towel, and Pandora, I walked up a hill that led to a tunnel and immediately I started singing my heart out. There is nothing as pure to a vocalist’s ear as natural acoustics. Listening to the sound of my voice in the tunnel brought me to tears because I re-imagined a childhood dream of singing before thousands.
Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.
~Albert Einstein
On every corner, I captured unique works of exquisite and edgy art, obscure to those riding comfortably in cars. On the way back, I ventured to the left through the woods. In the middle of the forest, I stumbled on four huge pieces of wood in the shape of a hashtag. I asked myself, “If your life could be summarized by a hashtag under three words, what would it read?” #stillstandingstrong
In the final minutes of my soul-refreshing outing, I danced as if no one was watching on the sidewalk heading towards my car.
During my youth, I grew up in a very volatile environment. Fantasizing about a world beyond reality became a lifeline that kept me afloat during the darkest nights. Out of all the toys I was fortunate enough to have, there is one that remains close to my heart. The kaleidoscope. It is cylindrical and has an appearance similar to the telescope.
At the end of the kaleidoscope, you can see changing and colorful geometric patterns of art that are only visible to the person looking inside. As you rotate the cylinder a new image appears. The power to pivot in a different direction during turbulent times and transform trouble into a triumphant rise demonstrates the creative flair of a kaleidoscopic mind.
Adversity is an invitation to unleash your artistic imagination especially under immense pressure and while treading through chaotic conditions. In the words of Shane Koyczan, “If your heart is broken make art with the pieces.”
The etymological root words of kaleidoscope are Kalos, which means beautiful, and Eido, which signifies the ability to discover, Scope, is defined as the space or opportunity for unhampered motion. The mind is a magnificent kaleidoscope of limitless potential waiting to be seized.
A good half of the art of living is resilience.
~Alain de Bottom
How am I still standing strong after countless battles with depression, personal failures, health challenges, social anxiety, rejection, addictions, heartache, financial hardship, and one roadblock after the next? It started with the radical resolve to fight for what I believe in and choose to stand up for my needs. I have learned and continue to uncover ways to transform my pain into a fresh palette of possibilities. The true colors of courage are hues of tenacity draped in awe-inspiring resilience.
Me supporting me.
Me loving me.
Me strengthening me.
Me healing me.
Me comforting me.
Me hearing me.
Me restoring me.
Me guiding me.
Me freeing me.
Me cheering me.
Me embracing me.
Me lifting me.
Me challenging me.
Me understanding me.
Me building me.
Me energizing me.
Me reinventing me.
Life is art and art is life. You can find artisanship everywhere and in everything when you are willing to search for it. An easy-to-grasp definition of art is, “The expression of human creative skill and imagination that is acquired by experience, study or observation.” The dawning of each new day delivers a gift of fortified strength etched in the statue of struggle right on our front doorstep.
My barn having burned down; I can now see the moon.
~Mizuta Masahide
Currently, in my home office, I have twenty-five vision boards and six vision books. My husband opened the door while writing this piece and inquired about my Paris art frame that sits on the desk. I told him, “I think it should go on the wall in the small corner space I have next to the pink vision board.” He responded, “You do know you can leave open space on the wall?” I told him, “This is the vision room; we leave no stone unturned.” A kaleidoscopic mindset is brimming with passion bursting at the seams. The visionary dreams of what others cannot perceive. The acronym I established for A.R.T. is:
A-cknowledge the difficulty and dance through it.
R-each for the impossible and embrace your superpower.
T-rack your progress, honor the process, and maximize your potential.
Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.
~Helen Keller
If you were to step out of the safety zone of comfort what action would feel easiest to execute?
- Baby step: Start with one simple action to silence stagnation.
- Brave step: Face an internal fear, leap, and the net will appear.
- Bodacious step: Break the rigid rules and make a radical move.
Be not afraid of who you are, open your garden of greatness, for the world to inhale your fragrant imagination.
What part of the message spoke directly to you? Feel free to share your kaleidoscopic perspective with me.
“Speak the truth, even if your voice shakes.” ~Maggie Kuhn
Welcome to this fabulous group and congratulations for the article which suggests various points of view……just like a kaledoscope!
I honestly don’t know how many young people today have ever used a kaleidoscope. Every time you moved it, those colorful pieces formed different and fascinating images.
The kaleidoscope is a flexible set of elements: if you rotate it, or if you look from a different angle, you can see a different image or pattern. It is not reality that is fixed, but our vision of reality. Thus, even in life as in work it is important to learn to see new possibilities. It is not reality that is fixed, but our vision of reality.
By developing kaleidoscopic thinking we can stimulate our imagination, broaden our vision of reality (personal and professional) and generate new ideas and solutions. Thanks to a more “kaleidoscopic” vision, in our professional field, we can welcome ideas and concepts that seem opposed to each other, instead of discarding them a priori. We can analyze problems more comprehensively, identifying recurring patterns, weak links and subtle relationships. We learn to deal with problems by experimenting with problem solving approaches. We can, I believe, even motivate a work team, through the metaphor of the kaledoscope, creating interdisciplinary project teams so that people are “exposed” to new approaches, new ways of working and new ideas, perhaps encouraging people to do “stupid” questions and sharing “absurd” ideas.
Hello Aldo! Thank you for sharing your rich and flavorful perspective. Oh the joy of simple toys void of technology that sparked creativity. FLEXIBLE set of elements…what a vivid reminder of willingness to adapt readily. Yes, to welcoming and embracing NEW, NEW, NEW.