The More You Do the Less it Hurts…Mother Teresa was right!

I was in an antique shop and found twenty-nine yards of sewn paper hearts. They made a beautiful string of garland, and I utilized them as a mask when I was gel printing. Here a few inches have been incorporated to make the heart patterns on a monotype print. When I read these words from Mother Teresa, I knew the print and the words had to go together.

I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love.

– Mother Teresa 1997

When I find a precious resource – like a sewn string of paper heart garland – my first reaction is amazement. I buy it and look forward to figuring out how to use it. Then the ideas start to flow, and I eventually narrow it down to one implementation. THAT is when the fear kicks in. “If I use this now and botch it up, I have ruined a precious resource.” So self doubt sets in. I then begin to question if this is indeed the way I want to use this precious paper, or should I wait? Might another idea come along that does better justice? What if it doesn’t turn out, look right, and I have ruined it? And unfortunately all these internal comments flood my head at once, leaving me paralyzed. So I end up doing nothing.

That is when I have learned to I step back. Do something else. Alter my thoughts even for a few minutes. I take a deep breath, sometimes multiple deep breaths. I then remind myself that it is only paper. In this case, I have nine yards of it…NINE YARDS!!! That’s twenty-seven feet…and I am stopping because I might botch up six inches? Breaking it down into a tangible number, I gain perspective and in this case dive into the deep end. The good news is that I like how it turned out, I can reuse the now ink stained hearts again in the future This piece would not have been complete without those paper hearts.

Utilizing the hearts, was a lot like loving until it hurts. Giving ourselves the chance to go beyond where we think we are able to go, means we dare to believe that more is out there than we can understand. The “math” may not add up – give until it hurts? And I’m left empty? NO WAY! And yet the only way to reach the place where hurt no longer exists, where fear is no longer a concern, where losing out is not the hurdle, is to proceed without caution. THAT is when the magic happens! The math equals out, even exceeds our expectations. It is when the precious resource becomes even more valuable even though it is now stained and used. It is the place when we are changed for the better by daring to step forward without all the answers, without certainty, and with a heart that has something to give beyond what it thought was possible. It is when we realize that faith, creativity and belief are intricately intertwined beyond our comprehension. If we only act when we know EXACTLY how it will all turn out, where’s the fun or challenge in THAT? How do we grow beyond our current state if we only proceed when we have all the answers?

So my encouragement to you is to keep loving, keep giving, keep creating beyond the place where your fear kicks in…keep going!!! You will be better when you dare to love, give and create beyond your current safe place. We are only made better people by the way we become who we are meant to be beyond our current borders. Dare to believe in the paradox that the more you do the less it hurts…Mother Teresa was right!