A Right Way

After dropping off my car for service, I braved the morning commuters by walking. Crossing over two freeway overpasses I scurried on my way to wander in nature.

Most drivers did not pay much attention to the green man walking signs. I stood tall, waved, and took a deep breath to cross to safety. 

As cars piled up at the intersections, I noticed how cranky and distracted the faces appeared. Not a smile reigned.  Then I realized all the signage promoted negativity by advising what NOT to do. 

What would happen to our psyches if additional signs read: Smile. Play. Be Aware. Have Fun.

Granted many of the caveats prevent us from dangerous situations. We also need encouragement along the way.  

What if  STOP  meant Stop and Think.  Stop and Live.  Stop and Have a FUN day.

What if this sign read - Surprise at the end of the street.

More signs could tell us about ways to enrich our lives.  

Such possibilities would do wonders for the ego and communication. 

When I drive by 
Keep Clear 
it makes perfect sense.

We need more signs to stimulate our interaction with nature.

Rewrite all the signs you pass on the street.  

Turn Stop into: Go for it.  Encourage motorists to DO positive actions.

Hurrah for YES!  Just do it!

Word Flex

Words have the power to assume many roles. Different meanings of one word enrich the text and enhance the reader's experience. Flexing your word power adds spice to writing practice.

Take a look at meanings for:

set
take
light
go  

Use each in a sentence or two and include all combinations.

Here's a start:  After you play the last set of tennis, set the table before at the time set following sunset. Why settle for less?

Add words to the list and use your imagination. Flex those words.

Sleep Nurtures Creativity

During the first stage of sleep known as half-sleep, rapid, electrical activity is replaced by slower, higher voltage activity. Sleep specialists cannot pinpoint the precise moment of falling asleep because the transition from relaxed wakefulness to sleep happens gradually.



Two types of waves (alpha and theta) occur together on the sleep monitor for several minutes, each seeming to fight for attention. In the transition, called hypnagogia, the individual is a passive spectator of random associations, neither awake nor asleep.

Artists, scientists and inventors such as Charles Dickens, Albert Einstein and Johannes Brahms experienced moments of creativity during times of half-sleep. Thomas Edison napped in a chair holding steel balls. When he dozed, the balls dropped onto pans on the floor and awakened him suddenly. This aroused ideas of discovery.

Sleep scientists do not understand the causes and implications of these creative surges. They search for some connection between creativity and alpha-theta brainwaves or between creativity and intense visualization. 

Most theorists believe the half-sleeping mind, removed from rational categories, can integrate opposites and accept uncertainty.  For example, as he rose out of bed one morning, Einstein realized space and time are not separate entities. Our cognitive restrictions loosen in half-sleep allowing for unusual and illuminating associations.




The space between sleep and the edge of awakening remain mysterious and symbolic. Meanings shift and deepen to create possibility. Taking advantage of sleep's nuances may nurture creativity.



Keep a notepad by your bed and notice thoughts and feelings during sleep time. Do you feel creative notions appearing if you awaken suddenly?  

Write your first thoughts and feelings upon awakening. 

Notice connections and imagery
for additional writing.