This first blog post is a lot overdue. Maybe by a decade! For one of my big creative goals, I planned to start a blog several years ago, after I read “My Blogging Secrets”, by Amber McNaught of Forever Amber.
Her blog is one I still read, and the comments there keep me hopeful that that are people like me who still prefer to read blog post rather when just browsing through Instagram.
Little did I know that that first week of summer break, to quote the Scottish poet, Robert Burns, things went:
“Gang aft agley”Or to translate into the more commonly heard English version:
“The best laid plans of Mice and Men, Often go awry”
Life Can Change in an Instant
On a lovely Friday morning in June, when I was out in my backyard, happily standing in the sunshine, and pinning laundry to the line, I heard a thud from the basement where my mother lives. Next, I heard footsteps racing up the stairs. Even before I heard my mom’s home care aid shout my name, I knew something was terribly wrong. My mom had fallen again. Only this time she was more seriously hurt, and couldn’t get up on her own. As we waited for emergency services to arrive, I held out hope they would check her over, and help her back up. And life would go back to normal. But it was more serious than that this time. And after one of the longest days in the emergency room, I was told that she had a compression fracture to her lower spine. Nothing they could keep her for. “As long as she can sit in a wheelchair, I can’t admit her to the hospital,” the doctor said. Ordinarily, they could have transferred her to short term care, however, it was almost 5:00 pm. on a Friday afternoon. So instead they loaded her into my car, and sent her home. Luckily we were so late getting home, my husband was there to help get her out of the car again. And the following Tuesday, we were finally able to have her admitted to a nursing home for short term rehab care. Consequently, she worked with a physical therapist there for several weeks who helped her start walking again. My plan to start a blog, got put on hold.Where’s Help When you Need It?
My heart still feels heavy as I write this even now, because not only did my mom fall, and get terribly hurt that day, but one of my beliefs that I have always held got shattered too. In short, the belief that the emergency services and hospitals are a safety net. Particularly, I thought that when a family member is too sick or injured to care for at home, you can take them to the hospital until they are well. I think I will feel angry for a long time at the neglect we experienced in that emergency room. And not just us. It was heartbreaking to hear what was going on behind other curtains as patients waited and waited and waited. Maybe it’s Curious George’s fault for my mistaken belief that hospitals were happy places where people get well. I remember reading two of his stories over and over as a child. In one, George broke his arm, in another he went to the hospital to have his tonsils removed. I enjoyed rereading these stories that I loved from my own childhood with my son a few years ago.
Regroup, then Move On
Sometimes things happen in our lives that we have no control over, including a family member losing a job. Or someone in our household becoming injured or sick, and needing our time to care for them. And sometimes someone close to us dies, and we need to take time to grieve their loss. Or we’re told there is a global pandemic, and everyone has to stay at home two weeks. Times like these, are not always the best time to add something new, so my idea to start a blog, got put on hold. Also during these times of stress, we lose sight of our accountability to our own goals. Sometimes for years. It’s important for our souls, not to do this. Namely, it’s essential to remember we came into this lifetime to do something. It might not be something big and world changing. But never loose focus on your creative goals. For me, it’s just drawing, painting, and making little dolls.
Are You Listening to What the World Telling You?
Especially at times when you are in a crisis, pay attention to what the world is telling you. It might be the time for you to come up with a new idea, or even remember an old one. And if you pay attention, it might change everything for you. What I realized in this time of crisis is that I had been so busy caring for my young son and my mom, I’d abandoned all of my own creative goals and dreams.Crafting is one of the Oldest Forms of Self Care
Creativity helps us to relax and de-stress. It also helps to boost your mood, reduces depression, sleeplessness and anxiety. Therefore, when I wasn’t downstairs helping my mother, I sewed. I’d been creating a pattern for one of my little dolls, but the scrap of Liberty of London fabric I hoped to use was too small. After going through my stash of fabric, I found a piece with a small floral pattern. In the end, it was a fail. The fabric was too heavy. Also, my pattern had too many pieces considering the size of the doll. However, that failed dress showed me I could make a better one. Also, it reminded me how much I love to sew. This is especially good because not everything can be knitted! And that’s how I started making dolls again after giving it up shortly after my mom moved in with us.
Life is too Short to Put your Creative Goals on Hold
I’m starting the new year by finishing all the projects I left uncompleted. So often we put stuff off. Or we don’t finish things we started. And the projects pile up until we don’t want to do them anymore. They become just more clutter. Instead of helping us to relax, these unfinished projects become another source of anxiety. A friend of mine plans to wait until she retires to take up watercolor painting seriously. Many of us put off our dreams until our children are in school, and then in college, and oh, then there will be grandchildren, so maybe someday… This year, I decided to start a blog. I don’t want to be that person who puts their creative goals off anymore. Life is so short, and then it’s over. I think if you ask most people in nursing homes, their regrets are what they didn’t do, not the mistakes they made in trying new things that might have felt scary at the time.How To Keep Creating in a Crisis
- Never feel like your creative goals are not important.
- If you don’t have time to work, plan.
- Write out the things you want to create when you have time to make beautiful things again.
- Find little bits of time to work on your projects. It will bring peace to your heart.
- Keep making accountability goals and reviewing them, even if they have to change for a while.
Take Your Creative Goals off the Shelf
Eventually, I had the time I had wanted to create. I went back to the beginning of my art journey which had started with learning to draw during nap time when my son was small. Also, I started learning to paint watercolor! Between drawing, painting, sculpting, and keeping house, I’m as busy as I ever was as a full time care giver for my mom. As you can see, I have a box of dolls to finish and create outfits for, but I also have plans for new dolls I want to sculpt, outfits, and props to make. I even made them a house last winter! Maybe I’ll create some tutorials if anyone is interested.Now that I decided to finally start a blog, here’s what you can expect to find:
I will mostly post about my art, dolls, or something art related. Also, I plan to post about shyness, and living with anxiety. In addition, there will be lots of tutorials, and also videos, patterns, and printables.
I want to encourage you to reach your creative goals with me! Some might say it’s to late, but I think 2021 will be the best year to start a blog! Hope to see you back here soon!
To A Mouse
In proving foresight may be vain: The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy! Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me! The present only toucheth thee: But Och! I backward cast my e’e, On prospects drear! An’ forward tho’ I canna see, I guess an’ fear! Robert GravesUpdate: February 2023