(Note: I've stopped typing "New blogpost" and just include the title these days in my Gmail status. That must be a good sign.)

Do you play an instrument?
If not, I'm not sure you'll understand this blog post, but I'll do my best.

Last night, I sat down on the piano and played peaceful melodies. It wasn't just the satisfaction of a piece well played, but rather just playing for the sake of calm and meditation. I didn't take any particular written piece and play it because I thought it sounded peaceful, but rather let my fingers work of their own accord and find the niches in the keyboard that made calm/quiet melodies. And it was beautiful to my ears, not because I was playing, or because of my playing ability, but because it was in and of itself peaceful. We don't create music, we just take a combination of God-given notes and string them into pre-existing melodies, just waiting to be played. There's some kind of satisfaction that just comes from being free without restriction while doing something you love.

What do you love to do that's creative?
I may be wrong, but I think this goes for other things as well. Art, writing, music, cooking, anything that is pleasing to our senses can be created with an expression of freedom while at rest. The experience of pouring my heart into a beautiful creation brings me joy and peace. It is a part of our relation to God, we are similar to him in that we love to create.

There are ways in which to express ourselves through these mediums that are not as joyful and free. We can write to an end, but what I am focusing on here is just expressing yourself to find a joyful/peaceful work. They are pre-existing in the atmosphere around us, we just have to pull them out and take pleasure in them. I thank God for this ability to listen and find peace. Ask me sometime and I'll play for you.

For me, it's a form of meditation that brings my heart closer to God.