You Are Going to be Okay

on creativity and play

Dear friend,

You are going to be okay.

There is something about feeling safe and supported which brings us back to our childhood — or brings our childlike self back to us.

When a child feels safe, it plays.

When we feel safe, our natural state is creativity.

Creativity brings life to all. It stands in direct contrast to competition, which requires all but the winner to lose — at first. Then, even the winner suffers as a result of being alone.

Creativity is the way forward. Finding and making space for our creative selves is crucial for our survival (and thriving!), especially today.

We cannot find our creativity while living in fear. So finding a genuine sense of safety should be our top priority.

There are lots of great ways to do this. I often share the ways I’ve found and will continue to do so. There are also lots of ways not to do this, and many of these wrong ways have been ingrained into our daily lives — so much that we can feel irresponsible when we consider dropping them.

I could make a list of these great and not-so-great ways. But it feels more helpful to point to the part of you which already knows…

Notice how some activities make your breath nearly stop, while others let it deepen. Notice how certain activities cause your muscles to tense while others leave you feeling physically at ease. Pay attention to the muscles around your eyes.

There are countless signals being sent by your body all day long, like a quiet voice guiding you — if you listen.

Listening can be hard. But the real challenge is trusting those signals, and changing course as needed.

The signals may change based on where we are on our journey, which is why making a list may not be very helpful. The important thing isn’t to “go the right way,” but to realize — we are safe. We are going to be okay. And to let whatever comes alive when we receive that truth to flow.

You are safe. You are going to be okay. Go ahead and play.

—Nathan

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Originally posted at: https://nathanpeterson.net/you-are-going-to-be-okay/