Words for the healing of the nations

Today I have decided to move forward with no particular agenda in mind. I'm going to work - there's too much to be done not to - but I'm not going to set aside "an hour for this", "three hours for that", "Such-and-such after lunch". I'm just going to see what direction suggests itself, and "go with the flow."

I'm hoping it's a move that releases "The Muse". The Muse has felt a little left out this week, what with all the deadlines and such (six feature articles, four "10-Ways" columns, two commentaries, one Op-Ed, one community profile, five chapters of my new book, several hours of consulting and three speaking engagements...).

Sometimes The Muse simply gets elbowed out of the way. And so today (nothing due on anyone's desk and just the one phone-conference) I'm going to pretty-much let things flow.

Who knows... maybe poetry could happen... or photography... or I could outline this new book that's been patiently suggesting itself over the past few weeks? All I know is that what is possible is typically more exciting than what I have planned.

There's nothing wrong with planning - in fact it's a great way to be productive and to harness my creativity; I'd get very little done without it - but it's also critical to let the Spirit have free reign and to leave room for some prompting from the Author of all creativity.

So I'm going to try to set aside more time for improvisation. More time for serendipity in my work. More time for nourishment to seep into the well of my creative unconscious and to grow something new.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. (Revelations 22)

I want to write words for the for the healing of the nations...