To create: to bring something into existence. To make something happen. To be the cause for an effect.

We control the input, not the output.
We show up, we take our seat, we keep the appointment
On the meditation cushion.
With our kids.
In the field.
At our laptop.
We meditate.

We parent.
We sow the crops.
We sit down to write.

We control the input, not the output.
The end product is a collaboration of many influences.
Wires can get crossed. Obstacles arise. The muse doesn’t appear.
The weather may not cooperate to nourish the crops we have sown.
We may get distracted just as we are trying to focus. By valid requests and tasks.
Our kids may wake up grumpy or be dealing with stressors outside of our purview.

But we show up. There we have rhythm and consistency.
As the saying goes, “By sitting in meditation daily, you make yourself more accident prone”.
More likely to receive the Stillness when it graces you.
More present to allow the muse to use your body, soul and spirit when She shows up
Ready to witness the smile on your child’s face when he sees you in the bleachers
The seeds are sown, the fields tended, so when the rains come, they are there to receive, to grow.

There is a rhythm to this way of Life:
We act, we give it what we have, we let go.
And we repeat.
We are attached and dedicated to our input.
And we release expectation on the producing end of the equation.

I think this is perhaps what Jesus meant when he said to keep your oil lamp lit, to have enough oil on the ready, always.
Show up. Be set to go. That’s it.

There is a relaxing quality to this way of showing up for creativity:
It’s not all up to you.
But the part that is, well,
that part is
truly
up
to
you.