It's Me, Hi..... 👋

Looking back at my last blog entry, March 2020, in which I mentioned just having moved….. *sigh*. There have been 3 moves since but who’s counting right? 

The past year was sponsored by controlled chaos. Being apart from my husband for almost half the year, as he moved to Florida ahead of me, then me road tripping solo with the 3 dogs from St. Louis to Florida, via San Antonio, apartment living with aforementioned 3 dogs for a few months, and then finally moving into our home. Whew y’all that was a big mood. 3 addresses in one year is definitely a record even for us. Oh… let’s throw in two hurricanes for good measure. 

I quickly found my happy place for work, a paint and sip studio, go figure amiright? It’s a lovely familiarity to have.. being able to just jump right in and do something that’s totally in your wheelhouse; setting the easels up, brushes/water cups all have their place, new paintings to learn… I’ve been pretty dang blessed to find a paint studio to call home just about everywhere we’ve lived over the past ten years or so. 

At an event recently, I overheard someone quietly translating to Spanish for their family member while I was teaching. It’s been awhile but my brain fired back up and I was able to converse with her a bit and give some basic instructions in Spanish. It caught them off guard in a good way, and the rest of the class was enjoying it too. It was a lovely shared experience of being vulnerable and willing to not get it all right; me bumbling my way through remembering conversational Spanish, and most of them who were painting for the first time, sorting out how to mix colors, hold a brush. There was also someone who mentioned he was color blind - no prob, I just wrote the names of the colors on the palette for him and he was super appreciative of that. Art truly is a universal language.

Little lessons present themself all the time, and this was a reminder to tune in a bit and be open to them. The world is experiencing you, just as you are experiencing the world. Your interactions, presence, words… they mean something, and that something is not always confined to you. It’s hard to not live between your ears, especially over the past few years of minimized social interaction, remote work, less travel etc. Ask the questions. Be open to the answers. 

I was reminded of this recently, when meeting a mutual friend for the first time. We had friended one another online and started messaging and such before meeting in person. It was a no-brainer that we would get along, and I was excited to meet a new friend, having just moved to the area. After a while she mentioned she stumbled on my blog, through some links on my social media/website. I had honestly forgotten about my blog and felt a little sheepish having been reminded that my heart and soul are just out there for people to stumble upon and read. But. I also reminded myself that was sort of the point of me doing it in the first place. So, there we were….two kindred spirits chatting about life, and for the first time, I had someone throw some of my own writing back at me. In the best of ways. And it was exactly what I needed to hear at the time. Who knew that what I needed to hear was actually…. Me?!? 

New experiences and old, intertwined, weaving in and out, tangled together in a beautiful mess. Looking towards this next year, I’ve never been one to make resolutions or set goals for that matter - not for a lack of motivation, fear of failure, maybe even fear of success… (ok real talk it’s pretty much all that. It’s me. Hi…👋).  

I’ll marinate on this though: Here’s to sharing more experiences. With strangers, family, friends, and mostly yourself. They don’t have to be grand or lavish though… simple gestures, words, thoughts, it’s all good. Living between your ears is safe and there are days I don’t want to get out of that zone. I get it. These words live in my head until the keyboard finds them, so venturing out is pretty great too. 

We are all just stumbling around this rock together, being part of a shared experience whether we like it or not. Wear the glitter. Eat the cake. Take the nap. Pay it forward. Learn the thing. Talk less (smile more 😉). Write the book. Read the book. Go out. Stay home. Or don’t? You do you. Insert whatever fortune cookie knowledge you’re feeling, cause I love you and we are gonna be ok. Happy 2023 y’all!

p.s. If you didn't know, I've had a few other writing projects the past year or so! I've written/illustrated 3 kids books, and recently a hardcover version with all 3. Print on demand through Amazon - if you have time to leave a review I appreciate it so much! Thanks for your support! xoxo