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By Cindy LaFerle<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI was in the midst of a hugely profound change and I wasn\u2019t altogether sure of who I would be when the process was complete.\u201d I finally figured out what I need to do next. The light dawned while I was weeding the small Japanese garden at the rear of our property.<\/p>\n As most gardeners know, a well-tended Japanese garden should serve as a contemplative oasis. Simple and sparse, it is, ideally, the antithesis of a fussy English cottage garden. In a Japanese garden \u2014 especially a Zen meditation garden \u2014 you must take time to prune what you\u2019ve planted and resist the temptation to add anything new. Less is more.<\/p>\n Earlier this season, however, my own Japanese garden was overgrown, its open spaces obscured by weeds and perennial grasses gone wild. Emotionally exhausted, I hadn\u2019t been able to muster the enthusiasm to work outside in the heat and humidity \u2013 despite the fact that this particular garden is my favorite back-yard escape.<\/p>\n But last month, after pushing myself outdoors to pull the tangle of weeds blocking the view of my granite Buddha figure, I realized it was time to weed out my own life as well.<\/p>\n For starters, it hit me that I need to stop berating myself for \u201cnot doing enough\u201d \u2014 whether it\u2019s caring for loved ones or trying to rebuild my career. I\u2019ve spent the past three years micro-managing my elderly mother\u2019s medical care in addition to my own obligations. I need to take better care of myself \u2014 and accept my own limitations.<\/p>\n It also occurred to me that this isn\u2019t the time to pile on new career goals or projects. It\u2019s time to stop pouring my time and energy into dead-end assignments that offer little reward in return. It\u2019s time to clear some space. It\u2019s time to get clear. Period.<\/p>\n Not long after my weeding session in the garden, I stumbled on two remarkable books offering fresh perspective on facing midlife transition and nurturing creative growth. (Don\u2019t you love how some books fall into your hands when you really need them?) I\u2019ll be reviewing both books in more detail later on. But in the meantime, I\u2019d like to share the titles and some brief description, in case you too are in need of a creative jump-start this summer.<\/p>\n The first guide, The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife<\/em>, by Donna Henes (Monarch Press; $16.95), found its way to me as a review copy. As I began the reading it, I couldn\u2019t help but think of the author as a wise fairy godmother who arrived just in time to sprinkle a few beams of light on my path. (She even wears a crown in some of her promotional pieces.)<\/p>\n I discovered the second book, The Artist\u2019s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom<\/em>, by Christine Valters Paintner (Sorin Books; $14.95), while shopping on Amazon.com. Since I\u2019ve always been attracted to books that explore monastic wisdom, this title lured me immediately. The author draws on the insights of Benedictine spirituality to explore the relationship between the monk and the artist, reminding us that we all need time to reflect in our own \u201cmonastery\u201d \u2013 i.e., creative solitude \u2014 in order to reach our highest potential as writers, gardeners, poets, musicians, painters, or simply as \u201cartists of the everyday.\u201d<\/p>\n Or, as Donna Henes writes in The Queen of Myself<\/em>, \u201cA practice of solitude and separation \u2013 be it occasional, frequent, or constant \u2013 teaches us that we do not need the approval or permission of any outside source to validate our personal experience or emotions. In knowing who we are, we are empowering ourselves to know what we know and feel what we feel.\u201d<\/p>\n With all of this in mind, I am spending the month of August on a creative sabbatical \u2013 the best birthday present I can possibly give myself. If I need more time, I will continue the sabbatical through September.<\/p>\n A creative sabbatical requires a change in attitude and routine \u2013 but it really isn\u2019t a vacation or an escape. And it isn\u2019t a fancy permission slip to hang out and do nothing. Often used by corporate management as a tool to prevent burnout, a sabbatical is a time of exploration, inner work, and, hopefully, rebirth. It is a time to stop spinning our worn-out wheels and to approach everything with what the Buddhists refer to as \u201cBeginner\u2019s Mind.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the very idea of a sabbatical works against the way I\u2019ve been operating for years. Like most Americans, I was raised to believe that if you \u201ckeep busy\u201d you won\u2019t have time to be depressed or stressed; that you must keep all lines moving. Eventually, though, something\u2019s gotta give.<\/p>\n During my creative sabbatical, I\u2019ll work on several exercises outlined in the two books mentioned, and will be seeking additional resources as well. Periodically, I\u2019ll return here to post some thoughts from my journal as well as insights I\u2019ve gleaned from my studies. With the exception of a deadline I\u2019m obligated to meet, I won\u2019t be submitting columns or articles to other web sites or publications.<\/p>\n Throughout August, I will reflect and journal privately on several key questions, including: Why do I write? Why do I identify or label myself as a writer? For whom am I writing and publishing my work? How much is my work worth or what should I earn from it? Should I follow another career path entirely? What other creative avenues have I neglected \u2014 and which ones do I most need to explore? What is the best use of my creative gifts, or where and how do I need to serve? What\u2019s really blocking my path? \u2013 CL<\/p>\n <\/p>\n * ***
\n\u2014 Donna Henes, The Queen of Myself<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nDonna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife<\/em>.<\/a> She offers counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity. Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE\u2122<\/a><\/p>\n