Progress

Sometimes, the beads just have a mind of their own.

I was meditating the other day, and someone recently departed popped into my head. I only knew her for a short time, but I was so moved by her generous, creative spirit and her wisdom. This is what came out, and even though I'm scrambling to meet deadlines this week and next, I needed to take a couple of evenings and put everything else aside and work on this piece of bead embroidery.

After finishing the first half, I wasn't so sure about it. I wasn't sure that I liked the colors. Or the lines. During acupuncture this morning, I almost had myself convinced to tear the whole thing out (7+ hours of work) and start over.

But once I got home and sat down at my desk to look at it, and I really looked at it, I realized that it was true to my original vision, and I'll continue with it as it is.

It's baby steps, the progress on this one. It doesn't feel like I'm doing very much with it, but I think this piece is going to be more about being present while I'm stitching it. After I finish this portion, I'll need to embroidery the collar and attach it to the brass, back it, etc.

So many ideas bubbling around in my head these days. Not enough time to do them all.

I still can't believe summer is over. I can't believe we're nearly into the second week of September. Where does the time go? It seems as though my life is a flurry of activity, from the time I get up in the morning and start making breakfast for me and Colden, to my working days (which consist of writing, writing some more, beading, editing a zillion photographs, and then writing some more), to making dinner, cleaning the kitchen and doing the dishes, and then getting Colden ready for bed. It seems as though the lazy days we used to have are becoming few and far between. Weekends are reserved for adventures outside or time to clean the house (when it gets to critical stage) and visiting with friends. It's just not possible to get done everything we want to, or need to.

That said, Colden has been doing so much better sleeping in his own bed these days! I thank Elizabeth Pantley, author of the No-Cry Sleep Solution, for giving me the idea of offering Colden a fun little wrapped present every morning after he spends the whole night in his own bed. And I thank the Target $1 bins for a wonderful selection of inexpensive little goodies!

Getting back to my almost-normal sleep routine has been amazing. I slept for ten hours straight for two nights in a row this week, and I can't remember the last time I woke up feeling that refreshed. I know we're probably a few years away from my being able to go back to my night-owl ways, but for now, I'm happy to feel like I'm finally getting some good sleep again.

So, for now, I need to just keep making my lists, writing down my ideas, and then just working on prioritizing things. What do I need to do right now, what can I do later today, and what can I do later this week.

Breathe in, and be present.