Saturday, January 7, 2012

Throw the Whiner From the Car


Being in Jamaica for the holidays set me back a few weeks in my normal new year thinking. I thought I would spend lots of hours in deep thought. Instead I spent lots of hours reading delicious novels, working on my tan, and looking for hermit crabs.

It didn't take more than a few hours in the hustle bustle world of the good old US for all my thoughts to return and for my artsy brain to start humming again. It didn't help that I was greeted with a huge stack of mail that included the January / February issue of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine, chock full of eye candy and inspiration.

So, while my son practiced football last night, I stayed in the car and doodled some thoughts for 2012. No big revelations this year. I still want to do everything and lack focus. I still feel frustration over all that I cannot do because of other commitments in my life. I still see so many negatives... And here is where the Jamaican brain break paid off. As I was feverishly writing and doodling and kvetching, I heard myself loud and clear and couldn't stand the whining. Who was this grumpy ungrateful complainer? She had to get out of the car.

After I mercilessly kicked her of the driver's seat, I wrote "What would happen if... I stopped complaining about what I can't do and focused on the possibilities within the life I already have? Get ready for the possibilities to become realities."

Ok. Reflection done. Time to make art. 

4 comments:

  1. This post rang true to me! I wish you a year full of positive and creative thoughts.

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  2. That last paragraph was the 'kicker' for me. I'm a major whiner who focuses on what I can't do instead of focusing on what I CAN do. I'm always thinking of things I'd like to accomplish. Then not following thru on what I dream up. This year there's gonna be much more follow thru. Yay! Here's to a wonderful 2012!

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  3. Such familiar territory! Happy Art Making in 2012!

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  4. Yay, Jenny! Every great journey (and accomplishment) begins with a first step. And so often we only live up to (or down to) our expectations - having a positive attitude and focusing on the possibilities rather than limitations makes dreams achievable.

    Me, too -- time to make art!

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