My husband in the experimental garden at Stone Barns, site of the Foods for Tomorrow conference we just attended.
The past ten days have been full of heart-to-heart happenings that reinforce my decision to celebrate creativity and to help other women transition to more creative living. Yesterday I loved connecting in person with creative women who came to my Sea Ranch home for a mini-retreat where we experientially addressed creativity, matters of faith, and fear as a disruptor of the creative process. On the East Coast last week I considered my call to creative living vis-à-vis five events, any one of which could spark energy for change.
What East Coast Experiences Persuaded Me?
- Being with friends I’ve known for decades, hearing their stories, and explaining what I do . . . for the first time since my “transition” to authentic, Holy Spirit-directed, creative living;
- Attending a conference with committed individuals who share a passion to work for better food policies affecting present and future generations;
- Celebrating my mother’s birthday and reflecting on how it’s never too late to live out one’s special calling;
- Stumbling upon an impressive obituary capsulizing the 96-year life of a female pioneer and philanthropist in the art and publishing world, whose life reflects her curiosity and the consistent desires of her heart; and
- Attending my husband’s Harvard 40th Reunion, where a symposium of successful Radcliffe women, while reflecting on their careers, families, and what it all meant, and also revealed their struggles and hopes for the future in light of what matters most.
The Effect of Sharing with Friends
We had dinner with a couple my husband’s known since their teens. The wife is a powerful doctor with major administrative responsibilities for multiple hospitals. Though she and her husband recently bought their dream house in the country and have an apartment they love in Manhattan, she hardly gets to either home. She’s grappling with whether to go for a promotion and work exceedingly hard for another 3 or 4 years, to stay where she is (with no time for a life outside work or even time to take vacation days she’ll lose by not taking them in 2015), or to possibly retire now at 62, which is an affordable but apparently unlikely option for them. She’s sure she’d have plenty to do without her job: postponed reading, sewing, and a creative pursuit in woodworking, which she’s longed to undertake for decades. She’s given all she has for patients and employees her whole career, frequently neglecting self-care in the process. I admire her dedication and contributions to medicine and society, and I feel sad at all she and her husband have given up for it. They’re expecting a first grandchild soon and do plan to figure out how to take care of him one day a week!
We met with a college friend of mine who started a new job in finance at age 61, at the same time his wife went into real estate, a field that had long intrigued her. These later-in-life jobs have opened up new adventures for them. After several trips to supervise service providers who report to him from Bangalore, Joe’s discovered a love of India. He appeared energized, vigorous, and full of his longstanding good humor and faith. Another couple is retired and busy with travel including a recent pilgrimage to the Holy Land, helping out and spending time with their large family including seven grandchildren under six, and they’re actively involved in multiple ministries. I helped them load their Suburban full of food so Wendy could go feed dinner at a homeless shelter they support after dropping me at the airport.
With all these friends, I felt good sharing what I’m up to, glad to have moved on from my over-achieving career days to a gentler creativity and ministry-focused life. I felt free to talk about my relationship with God in connection with how I spend my days — something I’d formerly have kept to myself. I felt natural, relaxed, and authentic — a nice change from my former self! I really related to each of these friends and how much we look for meaning and gratitude and ponder all this at our current ages.
The New York Times Food for Tomorrow Conference
I’ve been fascinated with nutrition since I had my first child 30 years ago, and this conference was a tasty treat and a mind-stretcher! Mark Bittman, Michael Moss, Dean Ornish, Paul Krugman, Steve Case, farmers, chefs, doctors, policymakers, scientists, innovators, entrepreneurs, professors, philanthropists, politicians, animal welfare activists, sustainability experts . . . these were just a few of the speakers! We learned that 30% of all food grown in this country goes to waste, while people are undernourished and good food is often unaffordable. To drive this point home, award-winning chef and author Dan Barger served us delicious and definitely innovative breakfasts, lunches, and dinner made from food waste such as bruised fruits, oddly shaped vegetables, apple and carrot peels, the foamy water from cooking chickpeas, polenta made from the corn usually fed to cattle, and a bit of goat meat. Although the focus was food, environment, health, access, and education, what grabbed me throughout were the coming together of people dedicated with passion and creativity to working for the betterment of individuals and society, now and into the future. I’m inspired to make some important changes.
Celebrating the Triumphs of Other Women Aging Gracefully
Three women’s stories have given me inspiration and hope recently. Kathie Brady had dabbled in many an art form over the years and this year found a new one that seems to truly celebrate who she is as a loving, relationship-oriented artist and woman of strong faith! You can read a short excerpt of her story in my blog post, Can You Imagine Your Compost Pile as Creative?
Last week my Mom celebrated a birthday, less than a month after my husband and I got to host her and my dad for a nice visit in San Francisco. You can read a short tribute to her stewardship of gifts of hospitality, creativity, generosity, and evangelization in my blog post, Never Too Late for You to Live Out Your Calling.
On the plane to New York, I happened upon the not particularly prominent October 17, 2015, obituary of someone I’d never heard of but was duly impressed with: Irma Giustino Weiss, who died at 96. The New York Times column noted that Ms. Weiss was a witty, caring “yea-sayer to life” who cared deeply about human rights as well as art, architecture, and cultural enrichment. As I read the obit, I could so easily see the common artistic, vibrant, generous thread through all she did—from where and what she studied as a young woman (Art at The Cooper Union), the jobs she held and awards she won (first female in the Art Department of Triangle Publications, two Art Director Awards for work at Ziff Davis Publishing, and Creative Director at Conde Nast Publications), the type of marriage she enjoyed (“a magical marriage, whose romance never ended”), the students (of art and architecture), causes (helping the less fortunate experience the artistic, theatrical, and cultural treasures of New York City), the institutions she supported (Cooper Union and the Whitney Museum), plus the attitudes and style she is described as bringing to it all.
Kathie, Mom, and Irma, thanks for the inspiration!
Radcliffe Women Debating Whether Women Who Graduated in the 70s Really Could “Have It All”
A panel of 1975 grads re-asked the burning Gloria Steinem-inspired question of their college years—Can Women Have It All? Interestingly, “have it all” seemed to imply “have all that successful men have traditionally had.” I have so much to say about what I heard and how my heart responded that I’m going to save this for my next blog post. Stay tuned! Or, if you want to jump into the conversation this topic suggests, feel free to comment or email me right away. I’d love to hear whatever you’d like to share on the topic!
In the meantime . . .
