Day Eleven: Favorite Things-Questions

My unfinished mixed media painting answering the question, What Brings You Light?

I like questions, more so when I am the one asking them than when the tables are turned.  It almost always makes me feel like a spotlight is shining on me and unless I really feel comfortable with the person asking the question, it feels too much like a test and pressure and my mind goes blank or blurts out goofy answers.  But when I am the one asking the question of myself, well that feels different and illuminating and the question becomes a path paved with my own truth. 

A particular question that resonates with me is What Gets You Out of Bed in The Morning?  I think that while the core of the answer may stay the same, it can also change as your life changes. When I first read this question I wrote it on a sticky note and posted it directly on my computer so I would be forced to answer it every morning before I stumbled blindly into my day.  I never could come up with a good one-liner answer either.  I loved this question so much because I had the hardest time wrapping my head around an answer that was true for me.  My answer was a run on sentence of sorts.  And as I was doing a lot of self-work at the time this question then became What Do You Want to Accomplish Today? One particularly blue day when I felt lost and unanchored the question  evolved to What Brings You Light? 

For days and even weeks every time I came across a word or phrase that described what brought me light I cut it out and placed it on a large square black foam board.  I loved watching the words accumulate and build into their own mosaic story.  And this question is a re-set button of sorts for me, a reminder to seek the light and the things that bring me light when I feel overwhelmed or that darkness is encroaching.  I still have not finished this piece either  I assembled all the words in the middle of a swirly sunshine and I think that each swirly ray will eventually be covered in answers to this question as well.

What Brings You Light?

Here are a few links to other questions that I have also found helpful:

http://personalexcellence.co/blog/101-questions-to-ask-yourself/

http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Martha-Becks-20-Questions-That-Could-Change-Your-Life_1/1

Day Three: Favorite Things-Running

Sun climbing through the trees on an early morning run

First let me say I am new at running.  I began walking at a beautiful heavily wooded park two years ago when I quit smoking.  The walking, stretching my legs and lungs, and connecting with the outside world helped me make it through this change.

Six months later I began going to a local greenway with my husbands sister.  She was recovering from a speed skating accident and began walking with me and encouraging me to run between certain marked positions and to walk through others ultimately helping me to build my endurance and confidence. 

After we moved to Charlotte, I began running in the cemetery near our condo.  The cemetery met my needs for tranquility and for nature as it is a large green space.  I was also still shy about running in front of others and was not confident to run on the streets and sidewalks around town. On average I ran 1-2 miles 3-4 times a week.

In March of this year I started running everyday with my brother who decided to take up the sport again.  Then my sister let me know that she and my other siblings had signed up for a 5k and so we signed up too.  After several 5K's and one 8K my brother challenged me to a 1/2 marathon. 

I am now just 4 weeks away from my first 1/2 marathon, the Savannah GA Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon and am now running 25-30 miles per week, 5 days a week.

Why do I love running?  Well for one thing it quiets my avid monkey mind.  Don't get me wrong it is still at work but on new subject matter such as bargaining how to cut out a few miles or at what landmark would make a good breaking point.  I also love how it has made my city and other cities I have ran in seem so much smaller.    If you really want to get to know your community, go run (or walk) it.  You will see all the beauty and nuances that are missed by driving.  Hidden alleyways and gardens are stumbled upon, architectural details are seen up close, and I get to see the people that make up my city and neighborhood as well.  One of the greatest parts of running is being out doors; seeing, feeling and smelling the seasons change, hearing and watching the birds (city hawks and the tam-like finches), looking for feathers and little snail shells and four leaf clovers....being in touch with my environment. 

On my thirtieth birthday by best friend Vila said something to me that I took as a challenge.  She didn't mean it that way but it startled me and make me think of the brevity of this life and the choices I made.  She said that whatever choices and behaviors you had developed by 30 you would likely have for the rest of your life.  On the eve of my fortieth birthday I truly feel stronger in body and in spirit than I did 10 years ago and I thank Vila for being a catalyst for that...and for her love and friendship and support no matter what habits or behaviors I have had over the years.

"There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be." - George Sheehan

New Painting



Blue Feather

I painted this feather last week but finished putting a glaze on it yesterday afternoon.  Michael's (craft store) was having a sale a few weeks ago and I bought several square canvases and this is one of them.  I intended to paint blue and green swirls on a yellow and gold background but I ended up with this instead.  The yellow, gold and green are there but hiding under the silver.  This painting reminds me of a peacock feather which reminds me of my grandmother and also of my favorite colors (blue, green, and gold).  I did, however, leave out the golden eye that is more typical of a peacock feather.



Paintings in progress



I have 4 other paintings in process as well, each quite different from the next.  I seem to be in a blue phase these days when it comes to painting but I am also very drawn to petal pink and this apricotish yellow as well.  I am craving crimson red for a future painting and think I will splurge on the one little tube I have or experiment in making a crimson red from my other paints.

Here comes the Sun...

After three whirl-wind days infused with sunshine and spring like temperatures in which I cleaned and organized, and cooked, and painted and generally went about life in a sing-song fashion, I find myself slow, quiet, and feeling partly cloudy. 

I woke up this morning to bright sunshine and had my coffee early while writing about a strange dream I had last night.  Then Alan and I made breakfast while acting silly, (my favorite ingredient for cooking) ate, and chatted for a while.  Later I started looking into how to invest my 401K (insert: read too much about annuities and if I would ever be able to retire here) and all of a sudden I realized it was no longer morning, no longer sunny, and I no longer felt like taking on the world much less getting out of my pajamas. 

Since I could not have sunshine streaming through my windows, I figured I would turn to some of my favorite blogs for inspiration and a little sunshine through someone else's eyes.

• Look at this bright and cheery artwork found on Brene Brown's Blog.
• I love this handmade book that Shona Cole has created.  It is a mixture of her photography, poetry and collages.  She has so many beautiful DIY projects that she shares on here as well.
• Going to give this creativity mix from 99% a whirl later on today..not sure if it works yet or but I love hearing new music.  I like to listen to music when I paint and play in my office.
• Oh I love this...I found it in my favorites but cannot remember the original source.  It shows the sunsets and sunrises for your city/area everyday.  It is a wonderful reminder that the days are becoming filled with more light by just a few minutes every day.

Wishing you much light today no matter what the weather is like outside.