Next steps.

Reflect.

Have you ever wanted to start something new? But you don’t know exactly what the new thing looks like. You have a fuzzy, nebulous idea. Kind of like looking at the forest when there’s a thick fog. It’s a mess of brown, blue, green, grey and unknown. It’s a feeling of “I’ll know it when I see it but I can’t quite tell you what IT is.”

That’s what I’m doing today.

Instead of having it all thought-out with a clear plan and destination, I’m jumping in. Straight into the deep end. Off the cliff.

It might be messy. This might not be the content you’re used to. It might not even be something you want to keep reading. That’s alright. You are free to unsubscribe any time. No hard feelings.

If you do hang in here with me you can expect:

• reflections on life and what it might be like to be your own best friend
• continued sporadic posting. Possibly once a week. Realistically closer to once every other week.
• new things – book “reviews”, cooking, baking, behind-the-scenes in my studio (and by studio I mean corner of my garage where I paint)

If I were my own best friend I would tell myself change is scary. It’s okay to not have all the answers before you get started. And it’s okay to start anyway, even when the end path isn’t completely clear, just the next step.

And it’s alright to share a little bit more of who you are – like a love of reading or cooking or art. Deep breath. Jump off the rock. Try it.

Thank you to those who are coming along for the new ride. Constructive feedback appreciated. Wishing you all well as we test new waters.

Read.

I just finished reading The Personal Librarian, by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It was published in 2021, so I know it’s been out for a few years. Many of you may have read it, but gosh, was it good.

I love a book that causes me to think differently about history AND about events currently happening. I love a book that peaks my interest to learn more. I find myself doing further research about the main character, Belle da Costa Greene, to learn more about her life and the times she lived in.

This book made me think about “passing” as someone I’m not, in order to live the life I want to live. Or the idea of giving up part of who I am to fit in. Where have I done that in my life? Where have I made myself something I’m not in order to “pass”? I’m grateful I haven’t had to “pass” to the degree Belle did. What an incredibly strong and passionate woman to do what she did.

The book read quickly for me, which was great, because I had 4 days to get it done for book club. Strongly recommend.

Art.

I’ve started painting again. It’s been nearly 30 years. Some day I might share my story around art and what it means to me. Some day I might share a finished painting. But not yet.

For now, here are a few glimpses of what I’ve been playing around with. Color on canvas. Lots of texture. Lots of fun. And lots of mess.

This blog is a hand-crafted, heart-centered piece of work written by a human (not AI). The writing is my own, as are the mistakes and (inevitable) typos. Thank you for supporting a human who writes things.

Any books or products mentioned in this blog are things I wanted to share. I don’t receive any compensation. They are simply things I liked and/or choose to write about.