In a Blink, In Due Time

It is crazy how fast time flies by. Especially when you're having fun. You blink and it's been weeks, months, years. I committed to sharing my ideas through this blog. I blinked and four months flew by without a post. Spring and summer are the busiest (yang) time of year full of gardening and time spent outside, so the blog was put on hold. To some degree that's just my life as an artist bouncing around from one thing to the next. Going with the flow of the seasons. My closest friends know how much I like to pivot.

View from the Shade - Oil on Canvas

In the winter (the yin time of year) ideas were percolating, and I had lofty aspirations like writing a blog. I also signed up to display my art at the Hammonton Library, a perk of being a member of the Hammonton Art Center. While I was busy in the garden, I blinked, it was mid-June and I only had a few paintings complete. I have always been a bit of a procrastinator, but luckily, I do some of my best work under pressure. So, in just ten days I cranked out eight more paintings just in time for my month at the library. July is more than halfway over, so if you are local and haven't seen them yet, go check them out before you blink and it's August.

With my intentions set on putting more energy into myself and my art this year, the universe provided as always and cleared my calendar for me. I decided to finally head down the shore with my shell art. My first festival in June was successful despite the pouring rain and reduced foot traffic. However, procrastination got the better of me and the festival I wanted to attend in July was already full when I finally applied. This left me wondering where I should put my energy. Should I start something new or lean into something I already have going?

Since becoming self-employed I'm pretty much winging it. Living spontaneously and intuitively is so freeing, but requires a ton of faith. So far it's working, but self doubt definitely creeps in from time to time. When the fear bubbles up I remind myself I am always where I need to be. The journey is never linear. The spiral of life always brings us back to start again. Each time with a little more knowledge and a broader perspective.

This year the fence got stained and the flowers are in full bloom, but the greenhouse is empty... oh well, there's always next year

A gentle reminder from my friend, Kim, was just what I needed last week. We honor each season as we circle back through. Spring is the time for work and upward movement. It's a time to move outside and get things done. Summer rolls in and the upward motion slows and we bloom outward. It's the season of connecting with others, and soaking in all the joy that life has to offer. I blinked, spring was over, and so was my desire to work and push through. All the things I wanted to accomplish this year didn't pan out, but as always I find myself right where I am supposed to be.

I didn't want to work through my summer this year, because last year I blinked and my favorite season was over. Another year around the sun and I am doing it better than last year. The next annual Suzapolooza will be here in a blink. So, I am just slowing it down and soak in all the goodness of the summer. I'll keep tending the gardens inside and out. I'll keep working on the things I started, this blog for instance. I will even circle back to some unfinished business. Little by little I will get where I am going. Then next year I'll find myself back at the start ready to do it better still. All in due time.

---

ONE more thing...

Time seems to fly in the race.

Minutes feel like nano seconds and decades become but fleeting moments.

Oh, but to move at a snails pace.

When lofty dreams seem lifetimes away. Only as touchable as the stars in the sky.

The solution remains in the same place.

Not in time passed or unforeseen futures, but in magical moments of the present.

Time is consistent in this space.

Flowing with the cadence of our breath. Always moving forward with clear intention.

Dreams are unencumbered in this case.

Gliding sweetly towards us as we focus, not on the end, but the beauty in each step.

To know you brings a smile to the face.

For to know you means existing and existing is the pure gift of creation.

Passing through like a warm embrace.

Cherished for its essence, but one can still never have enough.