The gift of time
The gift of time
Last November I turned 40, and I received so many wonderful gifts! I feel so truly honoured to have such incredible friends + family in my life. One of my closest friends from when I first had Caleb, one of the kindest women I will ever meet, Anna, wrote to me + said to me that her gift to me was time. She is a beautiful artist + she offered me the opportunity to spend time with her in her studio for the day. I was so excited + yesterday was the day. I want to share with you my experience.
As a child I studied art. I took a GCSE in art actually, and received an A. It doesn’t mean much to say that, because as with most exams at school, to pass actually was very formulaic, as opposed to based on natural impulsive talent. I have however always enjoyed drawing. If you ask me to draw anything from memory, I will fail (unlike my 12 year old son who is incredible at drawing from memory or his imagination), however I have always loved to draw from still life. I have loved it but since the age of 16 I haven’t done it.
A couple of years ago I had my bloods taken. Not within the National Health Service but with a Naturopath (Shireen Masani, who I hands down would recommend for any TRUE support for your health - you can find her here). I wanted a full MOT of my health, and I knew these comprehensive bloods, with Shireen’s analysis of the results, was the way. The biggest issues that came back all indicated stress - something most of us today are suffering from, to an unnatural level, and which is causing us both acute + chronic issues with our health. During one of our consultations, Shireen spoke to me about what activities I used to enjoy as a child. The answer was that I loved making potions with petals + herbs from the garden, I loved building houses out of old bricks behind our garage, and I loved to colour. Shireen told me that those activities from our childhood are a strong indicator to what we are likely to find relaxing in adulthood, and that I should consider finding the time to colour again. Perhaps it is no surprise when I say: I didn’t. Why do we not prioritise these things for ourselves!?
I wonder after today though if it was because colouring is no longer ‘the thing’ for me. Today as I drew, first in ink and then in pencil, I felt my whole body relax. Every part of me was present and calm. Anna explained to me how drawing is a form of meditation, causing a decrease in cortisol levels. Lower cortisol levels encourage our bodies to relax, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, also known as the “rest and digest” state, as opposed to “fight or flight”.
As I sat with the mushrooms that were our subject matter, with one of my favourite people in the world, and a piece of paper + pencil/pen in hand, I knew I had come home to something that I could not ignore. Anna had booked for us to have a Thai massage at 4pm, which was incredible, but I literally was itching to come back to the studio. It wasn’t until 7pm that I realised I had barely eaten all day.
And I know this isn’t going to be unique to me. I know most people won’t pick up a pencil for fear of ‘getting it wrong’, and I know in turn so many are missing out on something that feels so right, and an experience that could create momentous shifts in their lives. We have let our childhood passions fade because of comparison (something I know I felt when I was studying art at school, and which I feel sure made me stop after my GCSE), and because other ‘more important’ things take up our time. But what if these very things are the things we need most to thrive?
I know for one I am hooked. I am already thinking of when I can purposefully carve out time in my week to start to fill my new sketchbook. When I finish writing this I am going to order some pencils. Anna’s gift of her time may well turn out to be a significant pivot point in my life, as I enter into my 40s: let’s claim it now as the decade I came home to myself (in so many ways I can already see), and finally remembered the joy + peace that comes from placing pencil to paper.
You can learn more about Anna and the work that she does, including her weekly free, communal lives on social media, and her creative activities + events at:
www.facebook.com/annamichalskaartist
www.instagram.com/annamichalskaart
You can visit her website, where you will find her offerings of classes, retreats and other gifts at www.michalska.co.uk
You can also hear more about her story in the conversation I had with her in The Sounds of the Rising here.