Building on Air

Do not worry if you have built your castles in the air. They are where they should be. Now put foundations under them. ~Henry David Thoreau



In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells the story of a foolish man who builds his house on the sand, so when the rains came his house fell. The wise man builds his house on rock, so when the winds blow and the floods come, the house remains. But Jesus does not say, how were the plans for these houses made?

I spend time every day laying on my couch, or my bed, or wherever I can find to stretch out. I close my eyes and it is some sort of prayer time for me. I create in my mind. I let the colors and lines and textures flow freely. For me it is a sort of communion with the divine, because I don't attempt to control, but let my mind be more of a vehicle, an instrument. My best pieces seem to come from this prayerful mind exploration.

Oh, but when I dig in, without this meditation... so often I am led to mistakes and frustrations. I have to build and break down and build and break down and build again. The art is more forced and the process less free. I feel less connected to the spirit that brings me to my work.

So today, before you start building on your rocks, spend time playing in the air... whether you are writing a test for students, preparing a piece of music for performance, or solving a computer problem. Let your mind explore.




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