Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Day 17,619 Gratitude: Bridges

 
Although quiet here, the second half of December was a flurry of activity that included successfully completing the local 5K race for which I'd been training, fetching the daughter from college for winter break, celebrating the holidays with family and friends ... while continuing to sling gel medium and bits of this-n-that onto business cards.
 
Up until the last five days of December, I still believed that, with focused effort and the ability to bend time, I could finish all 100 cards.  It was feasible, yes, but it was not practical.  I've learned a lot from this project so far.  One of the biggest lessons has been that determination to finish for the sake of finishing, at the expense of enjoying the process, isn't worth it.  My guiding word for 2013 was "gentle" and the generous application of it was called for here. 
 
Gentleness aside, I loathe breaking promises and falling through on plans, but had to remind myself that it wasn't as though I'd decided not to finish at all.  I was simply adjusting the timeframe for completion.  That said, as of last night, I have completed 50 of the 100 collages.  You can take a closer look at them on Flickr.  The remaining 50 collages will be made before the end of this month. 
 
So now, rather than representing closure, this project bridges the old year with the new.  For a girl who so often feels like it's her work to bridge worlds, this makes perfect sense.  For what's been done, what's to come and the bridge between the two ... I am so deeply grateful.


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