Your five responses can be people you know, people you DON'T know, music, places, foods, scripture, surprises, something you do for someone else. It could be a pair of slippers. It could be a glass of water.
1) Laughter lifts me up! The first place I turn for laughter is to my dogs. All I have to do is make a "raspberry" sound and my youngest pounces into my lap and starts to lick my face. The intensity of her energy and her responsiveness to attention is totally distracting and provokes laughter.
2) Music and singing. I can't help but smile when I hear Confederate Railroad's I like women a little on the trashy side (can't find a good YouTube clip, sorry). Anything with an upbeat rhythm that invites me to sing along also tends to work .
3) Prayer. Any time I start lamenting to God my lament turns into a confession, and a confession turns into absolution, and the next thing you know I'm feeling wrapped in divine love. I should do this more often.
4) Journaling. Exploring the down side helps me get things sorted out. Even if I don't resolve or come to terms with what is dragging me down, the process of writing serves as catharsis.
5) Creating. During a particularly dreadful period I made a Lenten stole that, to this day, is my absolute favorite. I came to understand something about the relationship between having the blues and creating art during that period, and it has served as something of an object lesson for me.
Bonus. I can take or leave Jingle Bell Rock, and have no favorite rendering of it.
9 comments:
All wonderful and uplifting things! I'd love to learn how to create a stole. I'd love to see a picture of this creation at some point if you don't mind sharing.
I went to one of your links--I loved your idea of Gratitude by alphabet! Thanks for the idea.
I love the doggy kisses. And agree about the art. For some reason this week I started knitting a sweater. I've had the yarn for 2 years...this just seems to be the time.
So glad things are looking up! (Altar Ego)
love it, especially #3!
Great list, and I could have posted these things instead of what I did. Hard, actually, to pick just five!
I should remember that creating is good for the soul - although I guess writing poetry is creating, isn't it?
Jingle Bell Rock is NOT one of my favorites. I have Amy Grant singing it so I can sing along (she's in my range), but it's really a kind of annoying song to me :)
Being creative has been one of the saving graces for me during this time....I totally get that.
Creating is a very lovely thing. Takes you out of yourself and then the magic moment of "Looky what I just made".
Great list. Merry Christmas!
Love your "lift me up" list!
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