Some thoughts...

Yesterday, something fairly insignificant happened that got me thinking. I was wearing a pair of shoes and suddenly one of the heels was falling apart. At first I couldn't believe it, but given that I bought these shoes probably 20 years ago, they were due to fall apart. 

As I threw them out, I said to Daniel: "Good riddance! They were always uncomfortable." 

That made me think. How often do we do that? Stay with something that is slightly (or even very) uncomfortable, just because it is familiar. I have certainly done that. In fact I still do sometimes. It also reminded me of a passage in Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach I was reading the other day:

"Our dragons are our fears: our day stalkers, our night sweats. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failing. Fear of starting something new and not finishing it. Again. Or the real fear, the one the sends shivers up our spines: the fear of succeeding, of becoming our authentic selves and facing the changes that will inevitably bring. We might not be happy with the way we are living now, but at least it's safely familiar."

I am totally happy with the life I am living now, and I realize that that is the result of many small and big changes. I have known plenty of anxiety attacks (and still do on rare occasions), but somehow my inner voice was always just a tiny bit louder. I didn't always listen, but the good thing is it never gives up!

The reason this is especially on my mind these days is that I have a number of friends who are in that unsettled place right now where change is inevitable and looks so very scary!

It could be the best thing ever, but when we are in that frightening place, we cannot imagine that things could ever be good again. We certainly cannot imagine that this change that is happening to us could bring something even better! I'm sure we've all been there. I know I have.

And another thing I know for sure - without those scary moments, without listening to my inner voice even though I was going into uncharted territory, without surrendering to the changes that were happening in my life, I would never have started making art, living my creative life, never have started blogging and would never have met you all.

First print of a new etching in progress - love it so far!!
I thought the Lara painting would make a good print!

And when I see where that has taken me, how my life hasn't only been changed but completely transformed,  I know that wonderful things are in store for my friends, too, and all really who are facing unsettling changes and are courageous enough to take the first small step.

Which brings me back to my uncomfortable shoes that were falling apart ... good riddance, indeed!

A Thoughtful Day

I was going to write about more art, but I've had a thoughtful day - actually a couple of thoughtful days, so I thought I'd write about that.
Yesterday and today, I found out that two of my new blogging friends, Bella Sinclair and Diana Evans, suffered great personal and unexpected losses.
At the same time, there was an announcement at my husband's school that a young professor had lost his life in a hiking accident. Even though we didn't know him personally, it still made me really aware once again how life can change in an instant. And it doesn't have to be tragic - it can be a good surprise as well!
It made me really conscious of how precious the moments of our lives are. Truly not to be wasted - ever!
And it made me think about how good it is to practice going with the flow of life, as that is really all it is - the natural flow of life with all the changes, surprises, ups and downs.
Something else this made me realize is how connected I feel to all my new blogging friends. I may never meet you in person, and with some of you I don't even know what you look like, where you live or how old you are.
It seems that none of that matters though. Just through our visits to each others blogs and our comments of support, we have made a connection. I can tell by how heavy my heart is for Bella, Diana and their friends and families, and how I rejoice in all of your stories and successes on a daily basis, that you all are a part of my life now and I am truly grateful for that!