Do you ever really realize how hard it can be to say a touching, heartfelt thing to someone, even if you mean it from the absolute bottom of your heart? You think of the words, conjure them to mind, prepare the thing to say, but then you stop as the words are bunched up right behind your lips. It's hard to let those out! Because they really mean something! They carry weight, emotion, vulnerability.
I was eating out with my parents this evening and my mom recently won a really cool award. After winning, she was put in a larger competition for the next tier of competitors, and I am really proud of her for winning! She's done a great thing and I'm so happy for her! But I had trouble saying so to her. Saying, "I'm really proud of you, mom." Think of saying this to your own mother. It's hard, right?
So then I think about all of the things I say that aren't hard on a given day-am I saying enough things that have merit/weight/meaning? I generally don't dig on small talk and useless conversation, but still I (we) tread on easy territory with things there are to say. And I'm not saying we don't have to be uncomfortable every time we say something or some crazy non-sense. What I'm saying is...
we ought to be more aware of what is coming out of our mouths-and let those vulnerable, good things come out if they need to. We all need to open up sometimes and we all need to encourage someone else!
And what's creative about that, you ask? Well, for one thing, think of how lazy conversation is nowadays. It takes mental focus and creativity to really think about something to say to someone that is truly honest and engaging. Another thing I think happens is the presense of vulnerability is that some boundries we always put up get taken down and some real mind melding can take place! Some sharing of mental properties and relations, out of whice creativity can arise! Like mutually tilled mind soil-the vulnerability is the tilling of the soil.
So think about that mind soil. There's a metaphor we could diverge on for a long time.
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