Creation > Consumption

Today's blog post is a topic I've been considering frequently: Creation vs. Consumption. In other words, I've been seeking to be reflective on what I passively consume (in all forms) and how that compares or contrasts to what I actively create. Let's break it down.....I'll be honest- I listen to many podcasts, read a lot of books, watch a lot of TV/movies, read plenty of blogs, eat a lot of food (lol), buy stuff (some needs, some definite wants. I'm looking at you acupressure mat), and I do a lot of stuff. Some of it is just for me, some of it is for my family, and much of it is for my job.

In short, I take in a lot. We all do. I, like most people in our culture, am a consumer. An informed one. A proud one. A dedicated one. But all this consumption comes at a cost. Consuming more means creating less. Consuming means noise....in many many forms. But, for better or worse, I  like consuming. I love pop culture. I love whipping through reads. I love tackling my school to-do's with gusto, I love learning more, doing more, embracing more, receiving more. Always with the more! That's who I am. I'm a solid ENFJ, enneagram 9 , Type A kinda gal. And that's ok, it's not changing anytime soon. Or ever. But maybe, if I pull back just a twinge, I can replace some consumption with its more soulful cousin, Creation, and see what happens. How, exactly, do I plan to achieve this? I created a list (see, I created something already!)

-Take a day off of podcasts in the car and just listen to music (hello Hamilton soundtrack, my old pal)
-Experiment in the kitchen and create my own recipe instead of following one
-Take some time each day for writing....it can be here in the blog space, in my journal, just a post-it of a verse or thought for the day. I just need to write something every day.
-Create more time for "us." Marriages take nurturing. I want to continue to create a space for our marriage to thrive.

-Create a new center activity for my class. If you're a teacher, you are very familiar with the term, "Don't reinvent the wheel." It's fantastic advice and with the advent of Teachers Pay Teachers and more quality, comprehensive curriculum out there, wheel inventing need not occur. However, sometimes there's nothing better than creating something new and great just for your kiddos.
-Create holiday memories: I am so excited to experience this Christmas through Hank's eyes. I LOVE TRADITIONS!  I'm so excited to savor family and friend time and soak it all in this season. I want to create a tradition of family giving. It's been so fun shopping for family and friends but I want to balance that with creating other, more soul nourishing forms of joy.

-Try and take more seriously the idea of needs vs. wants. Do you really NEED anything? I sure don't.
-When I do consume, whether it be a purchase, a movie, or a holiday treat, I really want to mindfully enjoy it. That means calories should be fully worth it and shows and books need to be worthwhile or else no thanks (and worthwhile for me might look like TLC reality crap. Hey, self care is a real thing).

-Say no. This one is so difficult for me. Especially this time of year. I'd rather do a few things well than 100 things half-heartedly. I'm learning there is great grace in practicing the phrase, "I just couldn't get to that."

Basically I can sum it all up in 3 words: Take. In. Less.

And to take this whole concept further.....what if I didn't consume OR create? Well, now, that is a beautiful, graceful state of being and I'd love to live there. I'll add it to my list.

Savor Your Sparkle,
Leslie