CHASING DOWN THE MUSE: Finding peace in spring’s energy

Wow! Spring has really arrived in all its most glorious chaos. The streets are busy and backed up. The beaches are a-buzz with people. The goats have munched away much of the early growth of green that arrived after the rains of March, but there is still plenty enough to know that it is truly springtime. A hike in the hills will reveal myriad examples of native wildflowers…and even some just blown in on the wind. There is an energy abounding that is unfazed by economic twists and turns and political turmoil.

Yet, this energy is still a bit chaotic at its core.

One need only stop and watch the birds in the garden to get a sense of this frenetic energy of spring. Sparrows and wrens, finches, brown towhees, the occasional grosbeak or phoebe all flutter about, pushing and shoving, vying for a share in the plenty. Mild-mannered doves even seem to move a bit faster even as they softly coo, shuffling around on the ground for the leavings. Marauding jays swoop down, scattering all the others with their bossy call as they come in for the raid. The screech of a Cooper’s Hawk overhead, followed by the nagging caw of a crow is the coda to this symphony of sound and movement…and chaos.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

Is it any wonder that we humans pick up on the energy of chaos that is so abundant in the realm of nature? There is a definite lifting of energy as spring arrives, the days lengthen, the hills green, and even more activities pull even the most sedentary outside. Sometimes that silence spoken of in the Desiderata is only a memory as we move quickly apace of the season. Sometimes, this all feels a bit too chaotic, with too many pressures. While, we may love the energy of spring, we know also that the silence is important to our spirit and at times we must make the effort to seek that as well.

Often, the solace of silence can be found in focus. For me, this is on my art as I lose myself in the very creation of a piece. Sometimes, it is difficult to stay in the very process of creating — in that focus. The chaotic energy of ideas, of things to try, of the new and the different — of the possibilities — pull and tug at me. When this happens, it reminds me of the garden and the fluttering of the birds. How do they get any of the sustenance when they are so busy flitting about like that? I wonder. I ponder. And in the very silence created by the moment of wondering, I find my answer.

I breathe. I relax. I listen. I let go — of fears, of need-to-know, of disenchantment and disappointment, of comparisons, of vexations. The chaos just seems to fall away and it is obvious that things are unfolding just as they should in some plan over which I have no control.

It IS a beautiful world. Max Ehrmann’s words in the Desiderata written in 1927 are a lovely reminder, whether we are in chaos or silence…. “Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.”

CHERRIL DOTY is an artist, writer, and creative coach exploring and enjoying the many mysteries of life in the moment. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (949) 251-3883.