Hey, you… Did this weekend sneak up on you? Have you been so busy that you feel like you’ve just been surviving until you reach this break? Only to realize, now that it’s here, you still have to buy and pack the Easter baskets, find/buy/iron the kids’ Easter outfits, pile everyone into the car to make it across town to the Biggest Egg Hunt Ever, *and* figure out Easter brunch?!
I see you.
And I hear the cry of your heart, that quiet hope that you’d have a little spare time to work on your Secret–the creative project that’s neglected but still alive. The one that calls to you in the moments before you fall asleep, when you’re too tired to hold your eyes open for one more minute. The art work or the world of words that you’re trying to build in the between-time. The time between loads of laundry, after-school practices, the meetings and the events.
You’ve tried limiting social media, but missed out on relevant news, so you feel like you have to check in or get left out of your loved ones’ lives. You’ve tried limiting entertainment, but it’s the only time you feel like you can actually stop and take a rest. And you’ve scolded yourself, bribed yourself, and tried tricking yourself.
And, all the while, that Secret waits. It’s quiet, but it won’t be still. On top of everything and everyone else, it pulls at you, too.
And sometimes you wish it would just. shut. up.
Because you’re too busy to ____________________. That dream’s just going to have to die, or wait ’til you retire, ‘cuz it ain’t happening now.
Then that dream laughs at you a little, because it knows it’s not going anywhere. It’s going to pester and pick at you until you start to resent it for reminding you about what you want.
Just. Breathe.
(No, seriously, take three really deep breaths.)
Easter is all about renewal. I know, you’re too tired for renewal. But this is the renewal that comes from resurrection. Like, dead. Dead tired, dead hopes, dead ambitions, dead goals. Those dreams you think are dead, even though that little voice keeps whining for your time and attention. Surely, it’s going to turn its toes up any day now, and release you from the guilt.
I believe we are all created to create. This is why that drive to create won’t go away. It looks for an outlet. Whether it’s a school janitor creating order out of the chaos left by students, a mechanic creating a restored engine that hums with health, a counselor who helps create new peace for a client, or a cook who creates nourishing, beautiful food, we all are called to creation.
This season of your life might be about creating family. It’s about absorbing inspiration and experiences, or thinking really deeply about your work. You may not be free to spend the time you need on your project. But this time isn’t wasted–you’re like a battery, charging.
While I often tell people there will be no “right time” to start, there are definitely seasons that are just hard. Stop worrying about it. This is your gift, that’s why it nags at you. You’re meant to receive it, hold it for a while, then pass it on to others. It’s uncomfortable because you know it’s time to share the gift with others, to pass it on. And you will, and it will be glorious.
Your dream will come alive.
So celebrate resurrection this weekend with a light heart, even if your best shot at some creative time is coloring eggs. Your time is coming. All the moments you spend chipping food off dirty dishes, wiping up the same messes over and over, and folding mountains of clothes will be resurrected in beauty for us all to share.
Happy Easter!!
P.S. If you want a little help finding those between-time moments, I made a guide based on the steps that really helped me. It’ll work for artists, writers, and other creatives, too. Click the button below.
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Diane Tarantini
This is a beautiful (and helpful) post, Cole. You basically wrote a little version of my life. For years I wanted to write and yet, I was way too busy with the raising of our three kids. Now though, as our nest empties, the time is coming for me and my Secret. I don’t regret the waiting years. I actually put them to good use. Knowing I wanted to write, I learned about the craft by reading a ton of how-to books, going to (at least) one writing conference a year, reading Writers Digest magazine every month. My Secret wasn’t dead. It was merely sleeping.
Cole Smith
It’s so true. All the pressure to “be true to you”! But there are different facets of us all, and seasons for everything <3