In these crazy times, everyone can use a respite from worrying about the news. Many of us are finding it difficult to focus and concentrate. Others are immersing themselves in creative projects because it brings them peace and an outlet for their thoughts and feelings.

I’m in the first group. I’m a writer working on my second book, but lately I haven’t been able to make myself sit down and write.  I miss it, but I can’t seem to get my mind to settle down.  So today I thought I’d sit
down and write this blog to try to figure out a way to create a little island of calm for myself and spark my writing again. 

Several years ago, someone introduced me to Zentangles. If you look it up on the internet, you will find definitions, “instructions” on how to do it, and examples of patterns.  I don’t follow all the guidelines so technically I’m not creating Zentangles.  I just do my own thing.  It’s easy. I think even kids would enjoy it.

I do put the four dots at the corners of the paper and then draw lines to create patterns which I fill in. 
I do use a bigger piece of paper than is used with Zentangles. When I first started, I used writing pens, but you can purchase special pens if you want to.   Different points give you different effects.   Some people just work in black ink; some color their creation. 

No matter how you do it, it has many benefits.  When I found a box of all the ones I had created (including the four examples above), I remembered how relaxing it is, how I got lost in creating my patterns, thinking of nothing else.  I remembered that it allowed me to be spontaneous and not have to think about the results.  I was just going with the flow in every sense of those words.  I found the practice extremely calming and an excellent way of settling my mind.

I haven’t done it in a year, but I’ve decided to pull out my paper and pens again.   It will be wonderful to immerse myself in quiet and find some peace.

How about you? What activity brings you peace?

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Lynn H. Wyvill grew up in Washington DC where her favorite activity was sitting under a Japanese red maple tree, watching clouds create pictures in the sky. As a writer, she finds peace and inspiration when hiking in the woods, strolling on sandy beaches, and observing nature’s show in her backyard. Those experiences are captured in her first book, Nature’s Quiet Wisdom. Before writing books, Lynn worked as a radio/TV reporter and writer for the US Department of Agriculture and owned a consulting business that trained professionals on the creation and delivery of effective presentations. She is a lifelong learner, avid reader, small town explorer, and dedicated theater attendee who lives in beautiful Virginia with her husband.