Creating art is easier than it seems. Beginning is the most daunting hurdle—something I’ll never understand. When I do begin, it’s always a hot mess—and then…magic! I need to trust the process.
I agree with Jerry Jenkins—author of more than 200 books—who said that writing is difficult; he doesn’t like writing, only having written. Ditto that.
The good bugs need the bad bugs in the garden. If you kill the bad bugs, you kill (directly or indirectly) the good bugs.
Sparkling clean windows make me happier than a whole lotta other things.
Fresh Spanish moss hanging on a hook in my studio is worth the daily misting chore.
Camping in a tent is humbling— and good for the soul. But I’m over it.
Seeing a banana slug while camping makes me giddy like a child.
Bookstores are the new shoe stores.
Organized religion will never be for me. I’ll just live by this mantra: Be you. Be kind. Love. Help others. Live and let live.
On politics: silence is consent.
Homelessness can be cured by simply ensuring companies, billionaires, and religious entities pay their fair share of taxes.
The greatest gift from your family is their time.
A precious gift from your spouse is listening.
Homemade whipped cream is highly, highly, highly underrated.
Free writing is an apt and intuitive therapist.
Childhood trauma wanes, but never dissipates.
Colored roller pens make the writer and the writing happier. They just do.
Saying no to some requests is not only okay, but honest and healthy.
Walking barefoot on the grass really is healing.
Perusing my adult children’s preschool art and activities revealed early clues to the people they would become — more than I ever imagined.
Parents are most likely young and malleable when raising kids. We shouldn’t judge them from an older, sage perspective having had different experiences in an entirely different world.
Having a butterfly whiz by my face and hang out in my pesticide-free garden on flowers I planted makes me feel like I am single-handedly saving the planet.
Reading ingredient labels and eating organic foods is imperative. Pay the farmer or pay the pharmacist.
Food garbage is an incredibly significant contributor to climate change.
There is no safe non-stick pan. I’ll stick to stainless steel and cast iron.
Nonfiction trumps fiction.
Immersing myself in stories of people discriminated against has reaffirmed my belief that humanity is not this or that, but everything in between: a gloriously infinite spectrum. Live and let live.
Pasture-raised organic-fed chickens produce more vitamin-rich eggs.
Typewriter font is the most satisfying font: stoic, authentic, truthful, but with an independent attitude.
Take a plethora of pictures no matter your looks or situation. Someday you’ll cherish them for they are the story of your life.
Navigating through a cloud of plump, fuzzy bees waddle-flying among my flowers soothes my weary heart in a wonky world. In a word: hope.
My way of loading the dishwasher is the best way in my household (though the debate perpetuates).
Star-ratings are no longer trust worthy. The value is in the comment section.
Draw what you see; not what you know.
I love reading memoirs. I believe everyone’s story is worthy when told in an entertaining and authentic way.
Travel has humbled me and taught me more about people, culture, and life — including my own — than anything else.
I look older with gray hair because I am older. A gift, really.
The “Let Them” movement has been a surprisingly freeing mantra.
I’ve crossed countries to see the world’s most revered art by celebrated artists—and yes, many are genius. But I’ve also found genius on the streets. I’ve learned to revere what speaks to me, not what tradition or history dictates.
✨ Here’s to another year of growing and learning and delighting in the wonder of it all.
2 comments
Hear, hear!
💗