Are You In The NOW?
"Forever is composed of nows." ~Emily Dickinson
Last Friday, I was sitting in my office with my friend Lisa who was TRYING to explain social media and all the workings of it to me. You must understand that I just joined Facebook and Twitter two weeks ago. Go ahead and laugh.......I'll just sit here and wait until you're done..........done yet? Ok. So yes, I am a social media virgin and for some reason none of it makes any sense to me. It's as if my brain shuts down and all I can hear is blah, blah blah tweet, blah link, blah HTML, followers...and more blah, blah. It's a whole lot of huh?
As I sat blankly staring at my friend Lisa with my head spinning, she turned to me and said "Hey look! I just wrote the Noodles On The Wall anachronism down. Check it out." There, in big black letters, was the word NOW (Noodles On Wall). I never made the connection before. It's as if Noodles On The Wall knew its own meaning before I did. Throw those noodles on the wall and do it NOW! Immediately my noodles started bubbling, as they tend to do :)
When it comes to taking time for ourselves, our creativity and actually throwing a noodle or two on the wall, how many of us actually do it when we feel the impulse? How many of us live in the NOW?
NOW can be a scary place. It means following your intuition, your passion, the side of you that can throw your hands up in the air and say "let's see what happens!" When you're a Mom with a million different responsibilities and way too much on your plate, NOW isn't always the go to place. Some of us find it easier to settle into the past, or what I like to call, the enabler. The past gives you excuses. Here are some popular ones I like to use, "I used to have time for exercising," or "back then, I had all the energy in the world." The enabler gives us an out. A reason why we can't possibly do more for ourselves. Then there are those of us who find comfort in the future, or the when-then. "When the kids are older, then I will (insert something you will do for yourself here)." The when-then can be dangerous because even though you are thinking about the future, you never move forward.
Now, I don't know about you, but I like to hang with all three. The enabler, the when-then and the NOW. I play a mean game of twister with one foot in the past, one foot in the future and a hand in the present. I do this because I fear the NOW. If it's not perfectly packaged and well thought out, I find a reason not to do it. I'm an idea person, but I'm also a perfectionist and sometimes that can get in the way of throwing a noodle. So if you're like me, when you find yourself in those moments of NOW, remember it doesn't have to be clearly thought out. Sometimes just putting it out there can give you clarity. NOW just means you are creating a space for the noodle, and no matter what, that feels good.
So, are you in the NOW?
As the Spring buds are budding and new life is growing, I invite you to take both feet and jump into the NOW. Even if you can't be there all the time, I guarantee it'll be worth your while :)
Throw your noodles and see what happens!
Who do you like to hang out with? The enabler, the when-then or the NOW?
Comment, email me at elena@noodlesonthewall.com or throw it up on The Noodle Wall.