For instance: I have been sick for days, locked in low gear. I’ve even complained about it on this blog–like you need THAT–and here’s what I discovered. I was dehydrated. I’ve started drinking a LOT more water, and I already feel better.
As you may have guessed, I am extremely ambitious. I like to do BIG things. The problem with that, of course, (which should have been obvious to me all along, as it probably is to you) is that the whole system of things seems to be geared toward starting small and growing. The entire universe apparently came from an impossibly dense ball of something, no larger than a tennis ball! Oaks rise from acorns; they’re seedlings at first, but they slowly send their roots down deep into the good Earth, and take their time spreading out their branches. Books are written a single word at a time. A painting begins with one stroke of a pencil or brush…
You can see where I’m going with this, I’m sure. And just in case you think I’m preaching, I’m not–not to you, anyway. But I’ve got plenty to say to myself! Instead of looking at the enormous whole of some task or project, I’m trying to see the small steps I can take, today, to head in that direction.
As an artist, I tend to be drawn to big canvases. But it’s my ATCs, little 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 cards, that actually get done–and often inspire ideas for a larger piece.
And now–I have horses to feed. They’re certainly not small things, but I’m including them here anyway. 🙂 I LOVE going out to the barn in the early morning, love the way they wait for me as I approach, nickering for their special sweet-feed supplement, served in round plastic pans. One, usually Traveler or April, the newest and shyest members of the herd, usually comes up to me for a nuzzle and some ear-scratching.
Life is so very good. And I’m going to pay more attention to the little things, because that’s where the real action is.
I’m off to Seattle tomorrow for a meeting, and I will try to blog. If that’s not possible for some reason, I’ll be back on September 12.
And now–gotta go. The horses are waiting, and none too patiently. 🙂
