Creative Activity and Rest

For me, there is something that happens after the birth of a child that results in a total surge of creative activity.  Which sort of makes sense, because at its heart, having a child is the ultimate creative endeavor, isn't it?  All of a sudden, there are sewing patterns lying around and new recipes in the kitchen, and new knitting patterns, which really seems like it should not be the case when there is a one week old baby in the house.

But then again, I think there is something very creative about being in a state of rest.  That's the rationale behind retreats, right?  That when we quiet our minds and bodies, and create a blank space on our calendars, it creates space for the divine to speak to us.  

In my own house, I am suddenly sitting much more than I am accustomed to.  Sitting and nursing a tiny, perfect little human.  And from that state of rest, I have been noticing such glimmers of beauty all around me.  Dorothy creating a little perch for herself in the baby's bassinet, where she can keep an eye out for the neighborhood cats.  Heavy ripe oranges falling from the tree with gusts of wind.  Lily, unprompted, guiding Hugo to our bed to read him aloud a book at bedtime.  Or sweet little Josephine, totally asleep, taking a break to stretch her tiny arms.  Are these things new, or am I just now noticing them?

We are slowly returning back to a sense of real time, and there are reading lists and potential trips and menu plans swirling around in my head.  I might get around to some of those things, but I do have some serious distractions, including a set of rambunctious twin toddlers and a very sweet newborn baby in my arms, and those things by themselves would be enough to make my heart full.