My Play Date With the Dali Llama
Yesterday I had a date with the Dali Llama ~ actually with an entire pack of llamas including Barack O’ Llama, Bahama Llama, Pajama Llama Junior, Drama Llama and Como Te Llama plus a small group of creative adventurers which happily included my teenage daughter.This unique creative play date included a lesson in all things llama from the Mama Llama who runs the small working farm, yummy drinks and snacks (including llama cupcakes) plus an art session where we each painted a colorful llama of our own instructed by my lovely friend and talented artist, Andrea Holmes.
Truth be told, I almost robbed myself of this most wonderful experience.The past week has been one of family crisis and emotional upheaval. I’d purchased tickets for this event weeks ago but now a loud voice in my head kept yelling that a field trip to paint and cavort with llamas was indulgent and unimportant. I had much more pressing matters to attend to!Thank goodness my heart won the shouting match!Everything that happened once I allowed myself to say yes to this fantastic experience was positive and good for my soul. (Of course it was ~ I really need to read my own words more often, don’t I?)* I got to experience heartwarming camaraderie with a group of kindred spirits. (I guess you’d call that Llama Camaraderie, huh? Sorry. Couldn’t resist.)* I got to enjoy the distinctly novel experience of spending three hours in the company of a pack of llamas who were curious, majestic, goofy and cute as all get out. (Novel experiences are like super-vitamins for your brain! According to Professor Richard Morris of the Center for Cognitive and Neural Systems at the University of Edinburgh, novel experiences create a halo of better memory via the release of dopamine brought on by them.)* I got to learn lots of interesting facts about llamas. (For example, llamas will spit at each other but not at humans, only need about a 20-minute nap each day and can run over 35 miles per hour.)* I got to stretch my creative muscles by stepping way out of my comfort zone by painting.* I got to “act as if” I was a real artist while painting which was terrifically fun and easy to do under the patient and skilled instruction of Andrea.* And most importantly, I got to spend a lovely afternoon with my amazing daughter, Riley Anna enjoying all of these Creative Oasis Moments together! She adored it! (High school graduation gift number one was a total hit! Woot!)
I share all of this to gently remind you what I was reminded of myself yesterday ~ time spent immersed in Creative Oasis Moments is always time well spent.It’s good for your mind, body and spirit.It is an act of self-care. (Like flossing but way more fun.)It’s not a luxury ~ it’s essential for a life well-lived.Of course it’s not every day you get the chance to hang out with a pack of llamas, but you can lose yourself in a good book, putter in your garden, listen to music while coloring, learn a new language, try a new recipe, visit a museum…spend even just 10 or 15 minutes fully immersed in the Creative Oasis Moment of your choosing and you’ll experience the benefits of stress-reducing self-care!Though I won’t have any llamas, I invite you to join me for a day of creative self-care and novel experiences this week during my April Creative Oasis Retreats!Only a few seats remain for each Breathe & Bloom Retreat, so be sure to register and save your spot today if you want to join us.Until next time, all the best from my Creative Oasis to yours,JillP.S. ~ I actually love the way my pink llama painting turned out! I'm going to hang her in my creative room as a reminder of how important it is to make the time and space for my Creative Oasis Moments as often as possible!