It Starts With Doing Something Differently

The timing was right: I was tired, and after having a nap, groggy and lethargic. Usually this means zoning out on the internet, but this topic popped up in time and challenged me to do something differently. I absolutely have things to do, but not the energy or will at this moment to do them – so this artist’s date allowed me to ‘do’ something and feel positive about it.

It is a colouring book, the type of which have been popular of date that beg for pencil crayons because the lines are tiny. I prefer crayons though. I like the thicker colours; however, they are imprecise. But this is a good thing. It forces me to slow down to go along the lines, and combat a little bit of perfectionism by allowing things to be outside the lines, or imperfect. I went where the colours took me and didn’t think more than that. There were forms in the background as well, to be coloured, but they were outlined in grey, and for some reason that mattered – pencil crayons were used in these sections, happily.

I only had about 30 – 40 minutes, but this was an artist in the moment date. It was a chance to show myself that there is opportunity for the artist even in smaller blocks of time. I found a lot of nuance in this quick date and I am left more peaceful as a result.

I love the idea of doing something differently… The Artist Date is perfect for that.

This weekend I gave up my bedrooms to my friend and his girl, and I slept in the basement. I haven’t spent more than 10 min in that room at a time ever. I’ve been here 3 years! It was so lovely and quiet, and when I was down there it reminded me of when I was a kid and I made an office in the cold cellar. I know that sounds weird but it was so quiet! It gave me huge incentive to clean it up – and better when I was actually in there with all the stuff, it’s not a lot of stuff, actually. I felt a whole bunch of overwhelm disappear.

I am going to think of a couple of things I will do differently after this weekend. I’m filled to the brim with music and friendship and chats and laughter and 8 year old enthusiasm and and and. It’s possible to be different altogether after a weekend like that, and it starts with doing something differently.

Pure awesomeness: A friend of mine is visiting Hamburg this weekend and was taken to a beautiful beach by a friend and shared this with me. Ohhh, I envied her, I soooo wanted to go swimming for days. I was laying on my couch early this evening playing some game thinking of my friend when all of a sudden I had the idea to go to a public pool here in the neighbour hood. So off I went. In itself awesome because I haven’t done this in ages. It’s the pool I went to with my friend that died of cancer last summer. So going without her was a first. All of this is awesome, but even better was the relaxed state I got into just being in the water swimming some and floating some and being massaged by a water beam some.

I know water has this effect on me, but I kind of “forgot” and it was great to relive this again. I love this state in which I’m tired and relaxed and hungry (always after I’ve been in the water 😉 ) and I feel so alive and good with and about myself.

As I said: pure awesomeness !!