Expressing Love Through Creativity

There’s more to creativity than we think!  It’s not always about making something out of art supplies or planning the perfect party.  It’s helpful in problem-solving! A few years ago Nancy’s little family of four was visiting with her extended family, and they were out having a picnic, likely at the beach because those people love a shoreline.  I mean who doesn't?! They happened to be away from the house and the hotel and therefore had none of the typical problem-solving supplies.  

Now, this is a pretty active group,  and they are used to playing a lot of games. So after the sandwiches were consumed and the chips and dips were cleaned up, a game of flag football was about to begin.  But there was a problem because they had no ball. Not to be deterred, this group decided to do a survey of what they had in the car. Here’s the list:  duct tape, a towel, brown paper bags, and sandwich wrappers.  Nancy wasn’t sure who got the credit for this bold act of creativity, but about two to three minutes later, they enjoyed the very first game of what became “trash ball!”

Did it become a tradition?  Well, Nancy’s family still jokes about it.  It’s part of family lore.  And if they are all headed out to do something, they remind each other “Don’t forget stuff or we’ll have to play trash ball!” It’s become a bit of a measuring point for them. 

In the second season of Second Cup, Nancy and I talked about being intentional to highlight ways that we can better love our family, our friends, our neighbors, and the community at large.  We tagged it “The Season of Love.”  High on the list is being intentional with what we create and what we put out into the world. So we got to talking about the gift of creativity, a list of items or experiences that we can create that will help speak love and encouragement to others. And so Nancy asked me about problem-solving!

The first example that came to mind for me happened many, many years ago when I was a child. And I grew up on a farm. and for the longest time, it was just my brother and me (we have another brother who came along later) and most often my brother was often my only option for a playmate. We had nothing in common, as we each leaned toward stereotypical boy/girl interests. Little Lynn used problem-solving to figure out what he loved, which was baseball. He could spend hours throwing the baseball off the roof of the barn and catching it. And my love at the time was drama and making up plays so I convinced him to join me, and for a moment in time we became the announcers for the Chicago Cubs baseball team in our imaginary play. Now that was something I could get my brother to agree to play with me. Using the power of creativity,  I'd solved a problem for myself. 

And the application?  You have to look at what the other person really cares about. It's not just about solving a problem for yourself. It's how can I incorporate what the other person in this scenario really values? In Nancy’s case, people valued playing a game together, so they were willing to come together and do what it takes to create the equipment they needed to play the game. And for my brother and I, it had to do with baseball and dramatic play.

The other example was much more recent. I went to spend some time with my grandson who lives in another country and just to be the after-school care provider for a few days. And so as a grandmother for the first time, I packed up what my grandmother used to pack up, which was books and stickers and, and little activities that you do with your hands. 

Well, when I got there and we started playing after school, I realized that there was a much greater interest in running and jumping and climbing and that we were not really going to sit and do stickers. And so at that moment I just kind of started looking around and we made obstacle courses from what was there. And we would stick stickers on the wall and then run fast to grab them and then go stick them on the other wall. It was just sort of pivoting, another word maybe for creativity or problem-solving. And it was so much fun!

Sometimes it's very loving when you receive from the other person that that's not quite what they want to engage in. But you can easily pivot to make it work for both of you. By the way, this story refreshed Nancy’s memory about two-year-olds!  They do want to run fast and climb things!

Nancy used to drive through for an iced coffee on her way to work, and she would see the same ladies working the drive-through since her purchase happened at about the same time every day.  They were always very upbeat and encouraging to Nancy and acted as if her small purchase really mattered.  They treated her well and got her day off to a good start.  It inspired Nancy to reciprocate in an act of sharing love through creativity.  

So she picked up some flowers at a grocery store on her way that morning. And so when the server in the window handed Nancy the iced coffee, Nancy handed her some flowers along with a handwritten note.  This was a fun moment for Nancy, not only because they had been good to her and became a regular part of her morning, but just to see the joy on the employee’s face.  She looked and Nancy and said, “Oh I love you, girl!”  And Nancy said it back and there was a moment!  

That’s another opportunity to create a memory, to use something very routine, very ordinary. it's a little reminder to slow down enough to notice those opportunities.  With this simple act of creativity, Nancy created something extraordinary.  

POINTS OF GRATITUDE

Through creativity, we can make moments to encourage, uplift, engage grandchildren, comfort, and love others.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

What’s an example of creative problem-solving from your childhood?

When have you had to pivot to engage in successful play with a child or grandchild in your care?

Is there something creative you can do this week to show someone you care?