Get Lost, Already!

By Amy Berrafato, LMFT, CST

When is the last time you got lost in a movie, TV show, musical, book, song? I mean really lost. You know, when time evaporated and you forgot who and what and where you are. Perhaps your emotions took you on a wild ride, and you tapped into something you didn’t even know you had within you. We call that the flow state. No thought, just experience. And be.

"Flow is a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter. It is when we act freely, for the sake of the action itself rather than for ulterior motives, that we learn to become more than what we were.”

-Mihaly Csikszentmihályi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

I saw the Wicked movie this past weekend with my fellow super fan, my sister. IMHO, it was absolutely incredible! I was transported back to the world of Oz, with bright beautiful colors, amazing music, deeply moving characters, and magical storyline. I ugly cried into my popcorn and belted the soundtrack on my way home. I couldn’t believe how moved I was! I relived this beautiful story about ‘good and evil’, friendship, and trusting your intuition.

Art, in all its forms, is such a gift. A book plotline that touches your very soul. A movie that unexpectedly brings you to tears. A song lyric that sings right to your heart. Everything around you can be part of this gift, if you open yourself up to the flow. We spend most of our time ‘doing’: distracted, on the move, or shut off, and we seriously miss out. These moments might be exactly what your soul needs, more than anything on that to-do list. 

Let yourself be moved, my friends. Especially this holiday season, with all its bittersweet wonder. The world is on fire, and yet, here we are. Defying gravity. 

Now get lost!