Tootsie Pops and Patience

Do any of you remember that commercial with the wise old owl who asks, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?". I've been thinking about that idea of slowly taking a project from start to finish with patience—something I've been struggling with in this busy season, full of end of year tasks and holiday preparations. 

In fact, I was working on a new linoleum block for the Julebyen Christmas Village, and ruined it entirely because I was not allowing the time or space to truly concentrate on it. I was carving in the house (in the middle of everyone talking and moving about) because the heat was not working properly in my studio. But the commotion in the middle of family life was too distracting. When I returned to the studio, I was extremely distracted by my phone beeping and ringing. I should have turned it off. The mistakes I made during the carving process could not be undone or fixed. I had to discard the entire block and haven't had time to start over.

When I allow space around what I am doing (and focus only on the task at hand), the results are much better. Like the Tootsie Pop, The process of wearing away at the outer layers, the little tastes of sweetness without dwelling on (or speeding up the process toward) the chewy chocolate at its core, is what I think of as FLOW. I'm not intent on the end result as I am working, but enjoying the experience along the way. Time goes by without me realizing it and 

the block I am carving is soon finished and ready for ink. 

I experience a similar effect with meditation or mindful walking, but if I am thinking about the next thing or trying to "get something out of it", I need to let go and be with what is happening—to simply know each breath or each scoop of the carving knife, like licking the Tootsie Pop.