It Has Been A Year!

Hello Everyone,

I can't believe it has been a year since I last blogged. 

It has been a long year with so much loss I can't even recall all the losses in one sitting.  I have had a lot of anger and sadness this year but mostly sadness.  I do not handle anger very well.  For me anger manifests as anxiety.  I am not an anxious person by nature and I'm ill prepared to deal with it.  I'm lucky to have someone that helps me along the way during those times.



Sunrise Bird at Havre de Grace, Maryland
photo credit: Don McClure

 

 

Since I have grieved the loss of my career I have done a lot of soul searching.  I reached the conclusion that I am a person that thrives on self growth.  When I reached the farthest I could go in my career I began exploring other options for learning and growth.  I wrote, I tried sewing, and a few other things until I happened on painting.  I dabbled and the muse left me.

 

July 4th in the midst of severe anxiety over an unsolvable life issue I started the process of painting my porch.  My poor porch had peeling paint from a previous owner and was in awful shape.  It was incredible!  For the first time I felt like I was in control of something that would turn out very very good.

 

 

 

Pressure Cleaning Said Porch





I was able to get so involved in this project my mind was blank.  It was lovely to be calm and peaceful.

 

Finished Porch

I didn't pick the color.  It was a mistake but for the better!  The first mistake I've made in a long while that worked out better.  I was such a painting fool I painted the old table and chairs too.

Table and Chairs on Said Porch

 

 

 Painting is therapy for some people so I went to Lowe's and bought different colors of sample paint and picked up some scrap plywood for free.  I went home and started to paint.  I wanted to turn all this sadness into anger.  I couldn't access the anger.  That was the plan anyway.  I got so much pleasure from the porch project I thought I'd give actual art a try.

 

Next I will show you some of my therapy.