The new year started off kind of slow for me, which was exactly how I needed it to be. The end of the year reflections always help me out in framing up and taking stock of where I am in my life, as well as giving me pause to think about what I'd like to accomplish when the calendar flips over into the next year.
As I shared in my last post, I usually pick a word for the year and write it down on an index card, think about what that word will mean for the coming 12 months and post it on the bulletin board just above my desk (where I will see it every day). This year I really wanted to get rid of a few things; both figuratively and literally. Debt, weight, health concerns, and a cumbersome investment property have weighed heavily on my mind for years and I want to lighten the burden for me and for my family. Inherited fears about life, creative self-doubt, "things" around our home that we do not love or no longer bring joy to our lives need to be purged from my mind and my surroundings in order to bring calm into my day(s).
I almost picked the phrase Shake It Off, but felt like Taylor Swift would be in my head most of the time. No, I definitely didn't need that. I love the synonyms for shed - slough off, case off, molt, take off, remove, shrug off, discard, doff, climb out of, slip out of, divest oneself of, and peel off.
This year has so many opportunities for growth and change. I want to feel lighter and less encumbered by the trappings of life and the rut of routines that no longer serve me. I'm excited.
We juiced four out of five days this week. That seems reasonable and I completely utilized my CSA box from our local farm. The kale usually languishes in my crisper drawer and I feel guilty for not wanting to eat it, but this week I juiced it instead. Steve is usually the juice maker in our house, but he is NOT a morning person. I found I was waiting for him to get up and make it and by then we were usually running late with getting out the door. The juice window would close and I would just drink coffee and skip breakfast. Well, not this week. I boiled a half dozen eggs to keep handy in the fridge for a quick breakfast and drank the electric drink elixir without making a face. Honest.
Ms. Paltrow's green juice is super bright and delicious (and I'm a tough critic!). I think the lemon is the trick. I used a Meyer lemon and nixed the mint, but only because I was too lazy to go out and pick some. I'll add it next week.
Best Green Juice
from Gwyneth Paltrow's book It's All Good
Serves 1
5 large leaves of kale, ribs discarded, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zest and pith removed
1 large apple, roughly chopped
A 1-inch piece of ginger
1 sprig fresh mint
Push all ingredients through juicer
Last year, one of Grady's goals for 2014 was to learn how to skateboard. Mid-year he made it happen. He's come a long way in six months and it both delights me and scares me (broken bones!). I need to lighten up, encourage him and just make sure I know the fastest way to Kaiser Hospital.
This year he resolved to climb (part of) Mt. Rainier with his god sisters, again. We did this back in 2011 and it was the most incredible experience. He'll be four years older and absolutely capable. We're going to do it as a family, so it's on my 2015 list, too.
Treated myself to a beautiful 'Lauren' leather double clutch by Hobo. I had been saving my Mamalode commission checks with the thought that I should spend the money I earned for writing and illustrating on something that would remind me of how I earned it. I'm a thrifter at heart, but buying a good, quality product that will last a long time is important to me, too. This clutch will serve as my wallet and can easily transition into an evening bag. I absolutely love it.
Last year I took several workshops that really helped me stay on my creative path. Artist Lisa Congdon's basic line drawing class was by far the most influential for me. I viewed the classes online while we were in Costa Rica by logging onto Creativebug's website. You can take an unlimited amount of classes via their website for $9.95 a month and they offer a 14 day free trial.
This time around, I signed up for Lisa's sketchbook explorations class. This week we worked on watercolor backgrounds and the addition of black Micron pens. I already use these tools in my journaling, but I was hoping to pick up some of her tricks of the trade, as well as design and composition tips.
I had the good fortune to take a workshop with Lisa in person last year at the San Francisco Makeshift Society. Her 3+ hour talk was on professional illustration and how to get your work seen and get paid for your art. Two months after this class, I did my first illustration work for Mamalode.com. Coincidence? Maybe, but I was ready to tackle my first print job due to the knowledge so generously shared by one of my favorite artists.
More workshops are on the horizon with calligraphy, hand lettering and whiskey topping the list for 2015.
As much as I've loved my subscription to the Sunday New York Times, I think I need to put my weekly love affair with the newspaper on hold. It's felt like treading water trying to keep up with reading the paper and its magazine inserts the last six weeks or so. I have a backlog to catch up on and I haven't made time for books. And I love books.
We continue to visit our local library about once or twice a week and the mobile library comes to a town nearby every other week. Since we are in a rural area, our book requests go to the top of the queue with the mobile library system in Marin County. What that means is that when we request books, we usually get them. In my case, I get them all at once! This week's haul has so many goodies. I have a lot of reading to do.
My husband witnessed two red-tailed hawks fighting over this western meadowlark just outside his office last weekend. I've never seen this type of bird around our property, but learned from a friend, Sarah, that the western meadowlark is Montana's state bird and has the most beautiful song.
We skipped our usual bird burial rituals and decided to leave it where the red-tailed hawks could come back and retrieve this yellow-chested beauty. Honestly, we didn't need another bird buried on our property, especially since I was trying to shed and release things back into the universe. This seemed like the perfect small act to burn this concept on my brain.
Walk the walk echoed in my ears. Just walk the walk and shed my instinct to perform a funeral for this little avian creature. The act of burying dead animals on our property was more for the sake of teaching my child about the circle of life when he was younger. We would have sweet conversations about life and death and the importance of honoring and remembering animals and people you loved. He's 11 now and I know he gets it. He kind of always has and I think when I was giving him those little talks, they were helping me as much as they were helping him. I would choose nature over nurture this time around and so the bird was placed under our oak tree, also known as the scene of the crime.
The little meadowlark ended up shedding five pretty feathers during its battle with the red-tailed hawks. I gathered the tiny, grey striped plumage from the ground and placed them a little vase on my desk to serve as a reminder of my intention for this year.
Shed...
Be the verb, Tammi, be the verb.
