Hurricanes. 

Daily thunderstorms.

Fresh, home-grown tomatos and corn and potatos.  Fresh zucchini and cucumbers.  The last hurrah of crawfish season.

A loosening of schedules, a chance to catch up.  A chance to breathe, move slower.  Watching plants and children grow like mad.

Awards aren't necessary, but they are nice. Varying forces, human and beyond, converge to manifest a Big Public High Five for a job well done.  I think it's only natural for us to want validation in area(s) that are our passion.  For me, that would be music.  To receive an award for a song I wrote or co-wrote and performed would be very cool.  Of course, it's also a big boost whenever someone just takes the time to listen and comment!

It's what any artist thirsts for:  "Dictation" or "Total Alignment."  It's when a song (or any creative output) appears, just flows though you and you are the channel.  It's the nudge I had yesterday (this time while washing my hair; Mama Creativity has a sense of humor) - "listen, and write it down."  There's no struggle, just a burning need to listen and

capture what you are hearing.  Go away, you tell the world.  This is beyond the world.  Burned supper?  Oops.

For a working woman with a family, this can get crazy.  Fortunately, a dialogue with Creativity yields some understanding on Her part - or at least I think it does.  She knows that I can't hear very clearly at certain times - there are other voices that need to be heard ("MOM!!!!!").  She also knows that if she whispers too much late at night, I'm too

exhausted to do anything but roll over and scribble down the main idea.  I've learned to trust in this; the rest will come later.  Sometimes it takes a while, but it does come.

Then, there are the Inspirations:  a comment, a thought, and I think "oh, there's a song in that!" Again, I capture the thought, and when the time is right, the song appears.  Or I give it a gentle shove by showing up at the page, the guitar, the piano, or just singing about it.

But when something comes to me unbidden (but most certainly welcome), as a newborn song, only needing to be cherished, loved, and guided (i. e. crafted or tweaked a bit) - it's God breathing through me.  It's alignment with the Divine. It's a precious gift, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and joy.  Best of all, it's joy that I can relive every time I

sing or perform the song - and hopefully, anyone listening will catch some of that, whether they realize it or not.