The door is left open, nightlight is turned on yet it didn't deter the occasional a jump into the parent’s bed in the middle of the night.
Have you been there? If you are a parent, of course you have. You’re also
familiar with the words, “I’m afraid of the dark.” “Why be afraid of the dark?”
we try to reason with the frightened toddler. But how can you reason with
someone who has seen a mountain lion poke its head out of the closet or felt
the monster under the bed. The noises heard from the dinosaur outside the
window have the covers pulled all the way up only revealing two eyeballs
searching the room.
Recently I read a quote, “Creativity, like human life itself
begins in darkness.” This to me proved to be profound because, we have never
been more creative than when we were little kids in the dark. There laying in
our bed, the darkness of night around us, we created monsters with multiple
eyes and sharp teeth. Ghosts hid in the corner and the alligators on the floor
almost daring us to get out of bed. As we got older we began reasoning and what
we had created had become a shirt on a hanger or a pair of shoes barely under
the bed. As we got older the fear of darkness dissipated as did our creativity.
After reading that quote I began to think about the darkness
and why we were so creative then. Outside of just plan paranoia, which I might
add most kids don’t have, I think there are 3 reasons why were more creative in
the dark. If we can reacquaint ourselves with the darkness perhaps creativity
will reign once again in our minds. We have forgotten about the mountains we
conquered, the robbers we caught and the sword fights we experienced. Perhaps,
we can once again, be creative.
In the darkness there is quiet. When you laid
there in your bed, you would hear every growl of the monsters and the click of
their claws against the floor. All because the quiet drew your attention to
every sound and you had no other option than figure out what it was, those
monsters. There is a benefit to the stillness of the night (or morning) which
permits you to hear your thoughts. If you want to get in touch with your
creativity again, mark out a time where you can just be quiet. Perhaps it’s on
you back deck with a cup of coffee as the birds sings. Maybe you have to wait
till the kids are actually down for the night before there is a stillness for
you. Whatever it is, you need to find it. Even the Bible gives value to the
stillness and quietness. It’s when Elijah was finally not distracted by the
noise and commotion that he heard the voice of God, in just a whisper (1 Kings 19:9-12).
The fear comes in the darkness when we lay there alone.
Mom would tuck her little man into bed then leave and there he would be by
himself. Sometimes even the bedtime story wouldn't work, often feeding into our
thoughts as we lay there with no one around but the monsters. A lot can be said
about finding some time where there are no distractions. Nothing but you and
your thoughts running wherever they may. Each morning I awake before everyone
else (or at least I try), grab my pen and pad then write whatever is in my
head, free-writing (not typing on my computer) three pages each day. I have
written jokes, articles, have had ideas for TV shows and been very creative
when it’s just me. Not to mention all the ‘To Do’ and grocery lists I have
created. But it’s more about capturing my thoughts, its unleashing a flow of
creativity which allows me to explore areas otherwise pushed aside or not even
seen due to the distractions around me.
The third reason we were more creative in the darkness was
because we used our imagination. While we laid there engulfed with
darkness, we saw what wasn't there. We would hear sounds and then imagined what
they were. They were real to us, those monsters under the bed and dinosaurs
outside the window. We just knew once we were tucked in for the night our floors
turned in moats or lakes filled with kid eating alligators. But it only
happened when it was dark and we saw them with our mind’s eye, our imagination.
Then we got older and our imagination grew dimmer as more light of reality
shown on it. We just forgot our bed was actually a ship floating in the ocean
and our cap guns would protect us from any danger.
The next time the lights go out and you are blanketed with
darkness don’t be afraid. Instead, use the light of creativity to open a whole
new world.
