I've been craving neutral...neutrality...calm colors. Calm feelings. Calm surroundings. I think because life seems "colorful" enough for me these days. Sometimes I feel like I am trying to run through knee deep honey...but most days I think I can feel the wind from the passing minutes blowing my hair. To keep calm, I listen to the Patti Griffin station on Pandora.com. I light candles and incense. I pray. I eat some chocolate. I eat more chocolate later. I take deep breaths and know that this one life is all I get. I have everything I need today, and everything is as it should be. I truly believe that. But it doesn't mean I don't get overwhelmed. I'm very
human.
A friend of mine asked of me many many years ago, when I was without transportation and worried aloud about how I was going to feed and clothe four small children...she asked me, "Do you have what you need
today?"
I never forgot that...
I have more than I could possibly want, or need this day. So do my children. When my emotions start creeping up to the blaring red "overwhelm" mark, I have to talk myself down. I count my blessings, my gratitude, my joys. And it calms me and centers me to make things.
One of those joys is being able to still have the ability to create. Earrings are all I have much time for these days. When I commented about that on Facebook, a dear person said that earrings must be all that is necessary right now. I needed to hear that. Thank you
Kelly (Barton) for the sweet and encouraging words.
What keeps
YOU sane? Please leave a comment and share your story? I'd love to hear it.
Oh, by the way, have you heard about the website called "
Ruffled"?...It is a website dedicated to weddings of all kinds...particularly those very creative indie type weddings with amazing pictures. It bursts with creativity! I think I most like it because it is full of photographs of young couples in love...such promise and hope in their faces. I really like that. The promise and the hope.....yeah, that......I need to see lots of that.
I hope everyone has an amazing weekend, filled with little joys.
Blessings to You and Yours,
Jennifer Valentine
Jennifer, I totally understand. Everything. I've been in each of those places. Sometimes when I look back at things I've gone through in life and when I was alone when my kids were small, the stress, the crazyness... I think to myself "Wow, that is sooo scary, how did I get through that?" Good thing I didn't know -those things/that thing was coming! :) Know what I mean. Creating centers me too. We just moved and my studio isn't set up or organized but I'm craving the day I have it all finished! Love your blog!
ReplyDeleteSheila
Beautiful post - heartfelt. I love your jewelry creations!
ReplyDeleteI center myself by being outdoors in nature - walking grounds me - touching trees, smelling flowers, feeling warm sunshine on my arms, and a breeze ruffling my hair. It connects to me a universal life force of love.
Be well, dear Jennifer.
~Pamela
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26 What helps calm me? Reading the Bible, praying, long walks, trying to be thankful each morning for three different things, immersing myself in novels while drinking chai tea. Oh, and reading your blog, where you so eloquently describe exactly how I am feeling/thinking so that I know I am not alone in my oftentimes cluttered thoughts. I, too, am welcoming and embracing the neutral in my life right now! Bear Hugs to you, soul sister Jennifer. :) Love, Karen
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