Reflecting positively

What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?

I appreciate this prompt question. This is a good time to look back over the year and pick out the good things.

Early in January I attended an event that was very fun and very positive. It had a running theme of : do not let what you are afraid others are thinking of you, have any influence in your life. In other words don’t give the opinions of others any attention.

It’s hard to believe that 2023 will melt into 2024 soon. I had some strong intentions for what I wanted to accomplish this year.

This sounds easy enough. It might be for some of us, but for me this year has been a running challenge on many things, this one definitely stood out.

I had set the goal early in the year, of finishing my book and luckily the intent of doing so, pulled me through everything else. Tonya Leigh suggested setting a goal so big that you had to evolve as a person to achieve it. I liked the concept of that, future Andie would approve. It was brilliant and I think maybe it worked.

I learned about regulation, at least the term, and I feel like that, in and of itself, was is a game changer for me.

Most of the positive events of this year have been small wonderful moments, often, one on one with my favorite people. Walks on the beach with great friends, being made over by my grand daughter, tea and toast with another grand daughter, playing at being basketball-fouled with the grands. Football with a bean bag, I think it was Oprah who coined the phrase ‘Cheerio moments’ from a show she did.

I watched while she interviewed a family in which the mother was taking her terminal diagnosis and doing many creative things to help her children through it. It was a tearful show, but powerful. The family traveled to several theme parks, and really made the most of their time together. At one point Oprah turned to the young daughter and asked what her favorite thing was. She told Oprah her favorite times from that year with her mom were in the middle of the night when her mom couldn’t sleep and they went down to the kitchen and ate bowls of Cheerios together.

It hit me, and a lot of people hard, that for all the travel and money spent, and amazing things they did together, the cheerios in the middle of the night meant the most to her daughter.

All the precious conversations I’ve had the privilege to be part of, are pure gold. I’m truly the most grateful for interactions with the people I love.

Those are my most positive events of this 2023 year. Hands down

They’re out there

Do you ever see wild animals?

I love that I see wildlife most everyday. Usually birds, but coyotes, squirrels, deer and rabbits are common. We saw a cougar one night. I’ve also seen possums, skunks, raccoons, even a occasional swan or snake.

I don’t live in a nature area or anything, in CA we are close to the ocean and lagoons and here we are on an ocean, maybe that’s why there is so many animals

What are you good at?

Share five things you’re good at.

Five things. Five Hmmm let’s see

I’m good at being flexible.

I’m good at painting

I’m good at thinking outside the box and coming up with creative solutions or ideas

I’m good at reading

I’m good at showing up and being on time

This is a good exercise, even a little challenging, but a great thing to do now and then. Give yourself some kudos, acknowledge your strengths, thanks, I’m glad I answered this prompt .

One thing?!

What is one thing you would change about yourself?

Oh hmmm, I can’t choose. I’m maybe like one of those houses that just needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. One thing? It won’t make much of a difference, so I’m going to stick with accepting myself as is, not being a house and all.

This is me. I’ll be polite and considerate for those who I’m too much for, but I’m just going to stand solidly as me being the best me I can. I am changing, but not like I think you mean.

maybe I’ll cut my hair…

Little Update

Here’s a fun update. My son and I have been working on Beatrix for days. For my birthday he gave me an iPad with a drawing Ap and a very cool stylist pen. We were all like: WOW

This is going to change my/your life! OMG!

And guess what?: It already HAS! We managed to do things I thought were impossible. We have been working around the clock (and around one very participative two year old who is living her best life being a big part of the production process). Also, in and around holiday decorating which is also super important as well as a very active life, due to said toddler.

Anyway, I’m actually at a third printing place, right now. Low and behold the price is right! Two mock up book copies ordered later, we make a quick stop at a local bakery.

Two year old A from her car seat: “More crousant please!” Nothing cuter than a baby saying French words correctly. Target return (with drive up service- what?!) and Whole Foods. (I’m going to miss California!) I leave tomorrow.

My son will give my website another quick once over and then finally I will try out the blaze thing. I’ll let you know if it does anything helpful. It’s fun to hang out with my personal tech genius and his sweet wife and daughter! As my time here draws quickly to a close, we are all planning another ‘work’ trip.

I’m all set up to start on my next breathing book! I’ve been thinking about it for awhile, so I’m excited to try out my new drawing device.

Meanwhile, things on the East coast have turned bleaker and more serious. Gs stepdad has had some complications since I left. (this part is in no way fun, just a bit of an update). I don’t know what I’ll be stepping into upon my return. Here we thought things would calm down and level out once he was at the rehab place, and it looked like that, until it didn’t.

What a strange life. I miss G. I miss my grandkids, I’m going to miss this little peanut so much and ALL my grown up children and my friends too. Oh blast the wretched holidays this year. It’s set up for… um…no one knows.

Probably like all holidays. How can anyone really know. I saw a clip of two kids getting gaming controllers and crying because they were going to have to share them. I’m sure their parents expected that to go differently.

I’m going to continue to be thankful and appreciative for everything lovely in my life. Circumstances have been changing on a dime these days. I wake up with the loosest of expectations. Still I’m surprised and surprised again. Often with things that are sweet. Obviously with things that are not too, but it’s okay.

This is what I signed up for. This is a stage. It’s going to shift and change and be sad and be happy, and change again. No one gets off easy and no one gets out alive. These are as sure as taxes. I will be biding my time by searching hard for lovely things to be grateful for and looking just as hard for the good in the difficult times. I can only make the best of any given moment and then take good care of myself and be compassionate to everyone (me included) in the others.

So there’s my book update. It’s finally made it to its last edit (fingers crossed). I think I found a print place that understands my goals. I’m about to start on a new breathing book about the earth and gratitude. I’m ready for things to expand out again and plan to begin, using my new IPad, as I fly across the country tomorrow.

I was texting my brother who I just found out I’ll miss seeing, my grandson who had his sister’s phone on the sly, and G who I was trying to wake up because the surgeon called me because they decided to do the surgery in the middle of the night and neither he or his mom were answering. Such a strange time…

I’m sad to be leaving but I know that I’m doing the best that I can do, as I maneuver through this year’s holiday season. Carry on brave friends. I know for some, this will be a shoulder squaring time. For others, enjoy. I wish you peace, hope, and love. (and a bit of fun too)

Oh that’s easy

Are you more of a night or morning person?

I’m a morning person

I have friends and family members who are night owls. A lot of artists tend to be. In fact if I have a deadline, I welcome middle of the night silence, so I get it. It’s just that my natural way, is to fall asleep early and wake up a little before dawn. I love to get up and out as early as possible. Something about the fresh air and early light feels amazing to my brain and body.

My grand dogs love this about me. Are all dogs morning people?

My first child was and is to this day a night owl. At bedtime she would say ‘I can’t sleep, my mind is too full’.

My second was and still is like me. Up and dressed and out the door.Another of my sons thinks you can be either. You just have to try. We disagree about this. Im basing that opinion on myself because I know I’ll never be as happy or coherent at night as I am in the morning. I can stumble around and do stuff, but not with as much efficiency. Mornings are my jam. I wake up happy. So do other morning people.

Once I went to a 6 am yoga class where the instructor didn’t show. The would-be class participants and I were practically all best friends by the time someone showed up to unlock the doors and sub. High happy energy and it wasn’t even light out yet. Cheers to other morning people!

Favorite clothes?!

What are your two favorite things to wear?

It changes. And kind of a lot so

Right now I have a silly Christmas sweater that I’m kind of loving. I’ve never been the kooky holiday sweater type, but last year, one of my kid’s families rocked their sweaters all season long. I bought this one late, so I’m making the most of having one for this year. It’s a Tommy Hilfiger wool blend with a polar bear wearing a red scarf on the front. It’s a good light blue color that feels more festive than garish, somewhat silly, but not too. I’m wearing it while helping decorate the tree. Seems perfectly appropriate.

To complete my crazy look, I’m breaking in my new Ugg all weather aderonic boots. (I didn’t realize they could be rolled down). Also my black vest. Thats another favorite. I wear this vest over and under everything. It’s warm, but not too warm, simple, goes with everything, squishes into a little pocket if I get hot.. How did I exist last winter without it?

Outdated ugly, old

What technology would you be better off without, why?

(Is a leaf blower technology ? Thats one I might be happier not hearing. Will they be inventing a silent version soon?)

To answer, I want to first say that the things my life is definitely better without, is the old stuff.

I wasn’t a fan in the beginning. I found no real use for the giant beige vented device that had to sit on and equally ugly big desk (that I had nothing to do with buying). Eventually I wanted to hug some guy named Steve Jobs for caring about aesthetics. Before Apple updated its earlier color computers, and made form as important as function, I couldn’t handle it.

Now not only is my huge screened computer pretty, my iPad has a cool cover and my iPhone is in a super cute case. Better yet I use them to make art and write books and read and get inspired and listen to music. Technology and I have become close friends.

I’m pretty sure no matter what I say here, someone’s living depends on it. This is where we have evolved. My thinking is that most anything can be used for good. It can also contribute to a lesser quality of life. Or even be destructive. Tools can be like that.

Do we need all the technology we have today? We did exist as humans for a long while without it. Would our lives be better without certain things?Were lives better before? Maybe in some ways, but most of the things that were available before are still around. Farmers have the option to walk behind an ox pulling a plow if they want. You can still get and only have basic cable. You can use a landline phone. Write a letter, mail a check…maybe someone is still using an old towered desk top computer. It might be black instead of beige…

I personally like where things are going. I know new things can be hard, they can seem scary and threaten the life we are used to, but I m glad for advancing technology. The things I use regularly make my life easier and more fun.

A very long time ago, people had to pump water from a well, heat it on a stove and fill a bath tub pail by pail to take a bath. Bathing wasn’t a daily thing, in fact for many families it was a weekly event. Oldest to youngest would take their turn as the water temperature cooled. Babies were last because they couldn’t handle the initial super hot water. Water was bailed out as the last bather was still mid bath. By then the water was murky. It’s where we got the saying ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bath water”.

Which means something like, don’t throw out the whole thing just because one part isn’t good or doesn’t work for you. Keep the good (the baby), and throw out the rest ( the icky dirty water- they probably used it to water the garden). If one technology is taking away my peace or my joy or whatever, I hope I will adjust my use of that certain thing and not toss it all out…because, well, I kinda love technology.

Hard question to answer

What’s the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make? Why?

It’s my birthday. I didn’t make it this long in life without having to make some good hard decisions. The hardest one? I don’t know.

In hindsight my hardest choices, made the biggest and usually best outcomes. Particularly when I listened to my heart or gut. Sometimes hard decisions were made and I just showed up and walked through the circumstances.

Some decisions I’ve made in a moment. Others, I make every day. It’s hard to say which is harder.

I might be facing one or several right now. Life man. jusr when you are having a little fun…