Find your outlets

I rediscovered an old love this week.  My clarinet.  The instrument I learned how to play in 5th grade has returned to me, and I couldn't be happier.  I assembled the pieces, tightened the reed, and reached into the recesses of my memory to try and remember the fingerings for the notes.  I started in on the warm up scales, slowly at first then with greater assurance.  After about five minutes I was swimming with excitement.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed playing music. 

How is it possible to forget about things you enjoy?  Wouldn't the mere enjoyment of something pretty much guarantee that you keep engaging in the activity?

I don't think that we necessarily forget about the things we love as much as we get distracted, or simply lose access.  Physical distance, time constraints, lack of resources, all of these can be pin pointed as reasons why we can't always spend time doing the things we enjoy. 

For me, finding the clarinet again means I now have another creative outlet to turn to at the end of the day.  Okay, maybe there isn't too much creativity in playing straight sheet music, but it sure works wonders for me.  I thrive on the challenge of reading the music, hitting the notes, and hearing the song come together.  It's mentally stimulating and I can actually feel my energy level increase as I work my way through a piece of music.

What are the importance of these outlets in our everyday lives?  For me, they are extremely important.  Whether it's writing, running, playing with my dogs, or playing the clarinet, having a mentally/physically stimulating energy source helps keep me balanced in the course of everyday life.  On days where all I do is go to work, sit in front of the computer, then go home and sit in front of the TV, I feel unsettled and unfulfilled. 

Maybe for others this isn't the case, or maybe it's just that they haven't found their outlet.  It's different for everyone, with some discovering these outlets early in life, and others not until much later.  I think you can also pick up new outlets along the way, but the truly good ones will stick with you your entire life.  

I think we are all more creative than we give ourselves credit for.  For some reason we trick ourselves into thinking that we are cookie cutter human beings, with nothing extraordinary or unique about ourselves, and we end up losing touch with that part of ourselves that IS a bit different, unique, and creative.  This is synonymous with getting older and losing touch with the things we "used to do."  Maybe this isn't the case for everyone, but I'm willing to bet that most all of us have lost touch with certain things over time that we enjoyed doing

So find your outlets.  If you already have one find a new one.  Don't let yourself become lost in the doldrums of everyday life.  Creative outlets are the great escape.