Day 17,660 Gratitude: In Process

The 100 collages project (The Power of 100, that is) continues.  Nope, I didn't finish in January, as had been the adjusted plan.  I knew this project would teach me things.  The biggest lesson is that an artful endeavor such as this decides upon its own timeframe for completion.  Not silly me.  For now, it looks like it will work out to 100 collages in 100 days ... wrapping up one month from now. But I can't say for certain.  What I do know for sure is that I've made 60 of them so far.  Each one is its own story.  And each one a story within the story of the day that it was created and a snapshot in time of the me who created it.  Several of you have very kindly sent me "fixins" for these collages, which has warmed my heart and ignited my inspiration.  Yes, there IS power in the creation of 100 and there's more for me to learn before the 100th collage is made. For all of this, I am so grateful.  

Day 17,647 Gratitude: Bullet Journaling

Here we are ... the last week of January.  Although quiet here on the blog, I've been here, um, there, er, in my Magic Beans Workshop above.  Collaging continues.  I'll share more soon.  There are gems that I've been commissioned to wire-wrap into pendants.  Reiki shawls have been in progress.  And, last but not least, there has been a fair amount of brainstorming too.

On that end, Bullet Journaling has been a new year blessing to me.  These daily lists not only capture the things I need to do, but also events, observations and ideas ... the things that might otherwise float away, uncaptured and unexplored.  I've slightly modified the process to suit the way that I'm wired and, as a result, I'm accomplishing things that have been bugging me in their undoneness for months ... if not years.  Why has this system been so successful for me?  Simple.  I get tired of writing down the same undone tasks each day.  Get 'em down.  Get 'em done.  Move along.

What tools and techniques have been keeping you organized and inspired as we move forward into 2014?

Day 17,620 Gratitude: Creature Comforts

In the midst of a winter storm, the things for which I'm feeling most grateful take the form of creature comforts ... the reliability of our furnace, yes, when the thermometer reads 19 degrees ... and soft things, good music, hot tea and nourishment borne of the oven, especially.  I received an essential oil diffuser for Christmas this year.  It's rocking (and relaxing) my world.  I've been enjoying Purification for the better part of the day.  I'm gearing up to crochet beside a blazing fire tonight.

Joy, magic, beauty, pleasures and happy surprises don't always show up in grand form each day ... but they do show up.  Always.  For this I am so grateful.

(Please share with me what you are most grateful for today.  Gratitude begets gratitude, so don't be shy.)

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.



Day 17,598 Gratitude: Wide Awake and Curious

I marvel at how many days can slip by between posts.  I'll swear I shared a story with you here the day before yesterday, only to discover it's been almost one week.  I'm losing my linear superpowers!  Alas, winter disorients me and disrupts my sleep schedule.  This Dark Time plays tricks on my perimenopausal brain.

I've been waking up around 4:30 a.m., sometimes earlier, and eagerly making collages an hour later.  When the moon and stars are bright by dinner time, the Sandman can hardly wait for me to take the last bite before taking me out.  Ideas and inspiration arrive at odd hours and often in pieces.  I rarely know what day it is anymore.

Resistance is futile ... and not really in my best interest anyway.  It's a great opportunity for me to begin working with my word for 2014.  Curiosity.  It's obviously started its work with (and on) me already. 

I'm now wide awake and curious.  For this I am so grateful. 

Day 17,592: Fodder and Fixin's

Collaging continues ... now with 16 of 100 completed to date.  Alas, it already feels like I'm using the same bits repeatedly.  My stash of collage fodder and fixin's seems lean for the ambitious task at hand.  I tapped into my various social media outlets and extended an invitation to those who may be inclined to mail some bits and pieces for the cause.  I gratefully invite you to do the same.  Another option is to contact me directly with your mailing address and I will send a self-addressed stamped envelope right away.

In the meantime, I am looking at every label, receipt, package, photo, fabric, and tag with a refreshed sense of possibility.  As is always the case, lack is a state of mind.  We are all steeped in and surrounded by generous abundance.  For that I am so grateful.

Day 17,591 Gratitude: What Dusk Delivers

As dusk settled in yesterday, I saw something unusual in the corner of our back yard at the fence line.  Our neighbor's white poodle was tentatively investigating from her side.  She didn't bark at me as I approached.  I suspect she was as unnerved and befuddled by what was there as I was.

A hawk.  On its back.  The photo above is as I found it.  No sign of trauma.  Nothing to make its death make sense.  My only guess is electrocution.  The squirrels around here nest near dangerous places.  She was below a pole with high voltage.

There had to be a protocol for reverently handling the remains of this great bird, right?  I did the only thing I could think of doing.  I smudged it with sage. This brought me some peace and bought me some time.  Then a wise friend suggested taking it to the woods and reminded me that nature knew what to do.  So my husband and I drove it to our neighborhood greenspace over which it had likely soared its whole life.  As I placed the limp body at the base of a small tree, I realized that this once strong and powerful creature was the softest thing I have ever touched in my whole life.

I don't know what it means, if it means anything at all.  What I do know is that something like this doesn't happen everyday.  Some things cannot be discarded or disregarded.  For that I am so grateful.