The Wind

And with that last great gust of wind, summer blew away for a while...

Perfectionism

“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.” Margaret Atwood

I stumbled across this quote today and it touched something I've been mulling over lately. I have this itch to be creative. It's quite evident in the times I've started creative projects throughout my life - like the time I took a water color class and the numerous times I've thought of book ideas.

Here's the rub, I also have this intense need inside me to only do things if I know I can do them well. This perfectionism tends to force me away from any creative project I attempt. If you know me, you know that I quit the water color class (the half finished painting resides in a bag of painting supplies in our spare bedroom), and perhaps even more important, the book ideas float out there tempting me and terrifying me at the same time.

Just so you know, I only recently realized this about myself....So now I'm going to attempt to overrule my perfectionistic side so that I can give my creativity a fighting chance. I think it's going to be a real battle...

(Are there support groups for this type of thing?) :)

nature

Love this - there are so many layers...

And this...

And of course this...

It was a good time :)

Smokies

Some of my favorite photos from a camping trip a few years back...thought I'd share! :)

Missing all things history

So the past two Sundays I've pushed myself to complete pretty long runs in my pursuit to follow-through on my commitment to run 13.1 miles on May 8th. I'm impressed with myself...and sore. While I was running today I decided I should share with all of you a new find that's helped me pass the time while running. I've been listening to a history podcast called Stuff You Missed in History Class. It's two women discussing somewhat obscure items from history. I've found each episode to contain fascinating tidbits that (true to the name of the podcast) I did not learn throughout my (many) years of history education. Each lasts twenty minutes or so and delves into the story with just enough depth to educate the listener on the topic and instill a curiosity about further details. I'd recommend this podcast to anybody like me who enjoys spending the present learning about moments in the past. They also have a blog that you can read here. Happy listening!

A Wrinkle in Time

I recently enjoyed falling back into the story of Meg Murry in Madeleine L'Engle's, A Wrinkle in Time. I read it again as a bit of research for a project I've been adding to in my spare time. Spare time which seems to become more and more elusive as the year progresses. I've been able to read A Wrinkle while training for the mini-marathon on, yes, (gasp), the treadmill. I know I'll offend all real runners by admitting that I've done most (I'm sorry all) of my training on a treadmill and not outside. Regardless, thanks to the new Kindle, I'm able to actually read while I run! There's no doubt it's the reason I've been able to get through these initial miles. So, right what's the point of this post - I recommend picking up the books, like A Wrinkle, that were favorites from years ago. It's refreshing to enter the worlds you can only remember in bits and interact with characters who charmed years ago.

simple

I'm discovering something necessary about the combination of a steady, almost rhythmic, candle flicker; a familiar, calming song surprising me on the playlist; and the simplicity only a Friday night with no alarms on the horizon can evoke. The underlying anxieties and to do lists which normally run as background on repeat throughout the hours and minutes are erased. (They really are constants I promise...just ask Ryan...and everything on those lists are a TOP PRIORITY...at least it seems that way at the time...maybe not so much right now).

This is a breathing moment. I need to remember to do this more often. : )