Category Archives: Art

A Time Of Discovery

We said adios to 2010 a few days ago.  We’re now well into the first week of 2011. Looking at my calendar today made me stop and think about how I spent 2010.  Spent is the word that I choose to describe the use of time, because time like money has value.  In my opinion time is more valuable than money.  We can always make more money, but we can’t make more time.

Back to the subject of how I spent 2010.  Most of it was focused on getting back into the flow of life here in the U.S.  If I had to characterize the year I would have to say that 2010 was a year of discovery for me–self discovery to be more precise.  The theme of self-discovery flowed throughout the year for me regardless of what I did or where I was located.

One thing that I discovered about myself is how important it is for me to have a creative outlet.  I started working on an interesting but time intensive legal project during autumn 2010.  I initially thought that I would be able to continue my normal blogging schedule, but about a week into the project reality set in.  There simply were not enough hours in the day to do everything that I wanted to do, so I took a hiatus from THE Blog. What I didn’t realize at the time was that when I suspended my writing, I stopped feeding my creative side.  I enjoy being a lawyer, but that only nourishes my analytical side.  I need that, but I also need to nurture the creative part of me in order to be balanced.  A couple of weeks ago I ended my break and starting writing and blogging again.  I felt more at peace as soon as I hit the publish button for my return post.  I now know that I need to write and create regardless of what else is going on in my life.  I may not post as often, or my posts maybe be shorter than in the past, but I will write.

I discovered my need to create.  What did you learn about yourself in 2010 that you didn’t know or acknowledge before? How can you use this information to live a more joyful and balanced life?

Blessings!

See.  Live.  Enjoy.

A Time To Be Still

We often underestimate what we can do in a month or a year, but overestimate what we can do in a day.  I have gotten better about trying to squeeze too many things into a day, but I’m still a work in progress.

Last week was hectic, because I didn’t schedule my days as well as I could have.  I reverted back to my old habit of trying to do everything at one time.  I continually added one more thing until there was not enough time in the day to do what was already on my ‘to do’ list for that day.  I was a bit frazzled by the end of the week, so I was ready for the Labor Day weekend.  I planned to take it easy during the long weekend and not do much.  I didn’t stick to my  ‘do nothing’ plan.  My weekend was fun, but it was jam packed.  When Tuesday of this week rolled around I realized that I was almost as tired as I was before the weekend, but I didn’t let the tiredness slow me down.

I had things to do, so I pushed through the fatigue.  That is until today.  Lack of energy and focus hit me this morning.  I could no longer ignore the fact that I needed to be still, breathe and re-focus.  Sometimes it’s not about doing but about being.  When I’m tired I find that I am less productive no matter how much time or energy I expend.  One sign that I need to stop and step away even if it’s only for a short break is when I do more but accomplish less.

I’m taking a short break today and doing something that I very much enjoy.  I started knitting again this morning after a couple of years away from my fiber crafting.  Knitting relaxes me.  It’s yoga for my mind.  It helps me to unwind and clear the confusion.

Since the goal is relaxation, I chose an easy project.  I’m a few rows into a simple shawl pattern that I purchased last year when I returned home from Finland.  That said, I’m going to keep this post short, so that I can get back to my knitting and my downtime.

Could you use some downtime?  Are you moving at warp speed and draining your battery faster than you can recharge it?  Have you done all that you can do, but still can not get it done?  Maybe it’s time to stop doing and be still.

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…” (Psalm 37:7 NIV)

Blessings!