Happy Monday:
How is everyone doing on this fine Monday? It was crisp and cool outside when I got up and took my walk, and it promises to be a cool, yet windy day. I love the wind on nice fall days like today. I can’t wait for tonight when I can light the fireplace and paint while watching a Christmas movie.
Last night was the first time I lit a fire, and it was so nice and calming. I have so many home projects to do, but I decided last night to just relax, watch a movie and paint, and I’m glad I did. I painted a really pretty pumpkin for my dining room table centerpiece. Tonight, I need to try and finish up my turkey that I’m painting. The turkey has way more detail, so it will take me a few days to finish it up.
Painting is a hobby I’ve taken up lately and I really enjoy it. I love being creative. Writing is of course, my first passion, but I also enjoy painting and using my Cricut along with diamond art and quilting. Anything creative speaks to me. I had a dream last night that I was living in what I believe was a beach house of sorts. It was a bright cheery home with a nice patio that overlooked water. In my dream I was sitting outside and working with clay. Hmmm, I wonder if working with clay will be my next adventure in the world of creativity and art? Not sure, but one thing I can say is, crafting is what I enjoy doing.
I wanted to write today about mistakes. I was talking to an old friend of mine the other night who I’ve known nearly all my life. We got on the subject of mistakes we’ve made in life, and it brought back some old feelings of inadequacy that I used to feel when I was in the mindset that I had to be perfect. One thing that really sticks out in my mind was being told when I would express myself, my feelings or thoughts, that my thinking or questions were crazy. I would be asked why I thought the way I did, or I was told, you are crazy for thinking that way. I’ve learned; however, I am an artist. No, I’m not an artist in that I can draw well or create things from wood, metal or other things, but I am an artist in that I create things. I make cards, I quilt, I cross-stitch and so many other things. My artwork may not be perfect, but it was made with passion for creativity.
My friend Leslie, she’s an artist. When I first met her, I remember thinking how much I admired the way she decorated her home and she has always told me, “I’m an artist.” Now Leslie can draw and paint, so in my narrow mind at the time, I always thought an artist was someone that drew or painted. As you can tell, I’ve evolved in my thinking. I too, while not a true painter or someone that can draw, I am also, an artist. Creating is within me.
I was so wrong in my thinking; I was narrow minded. I believe when we as humans don’t allow our minds to develop and grow, we are stunted in so many ways. For me, being creative was never an option. Oh, I don’t blame anyone, it was just the culture in which I was raised. I was taught that in this system of things, I needed to focus only on preaching and studying the religions propaganda and later in life, when I made it to paradise, that would be the time to be creative. Oh, but first, those that made it into God’s perfect new system of things, those people would need to clean the earth of all the debris from Armageddon and of course after we taught everyone resurrected everything about God, then there would be time to create or enjoy whatever hobby of your choice. Oh, before being creative though, we would need to take care of the earth, the animals and of course, continue to indoctrinate ourselves in lies, then there would be time to figure out where our creative side was.
I have come to realize that God created us all so unique, and he gave all of us different talents, desires and strengths. God created us to enjoy our gifts every day. He wants us to enjoy our lives. He has never said that we have to live a life where all we do is read religious propaganda, preach and live in services to a religion. We are born into this world and from the moment we enter, we are growing and learning. God gave us a life to live. One thing we all have in common is, we all have our weaknesses too and the wonderful thing about that is, we can not only teach or help others, but we can learn from others. The differences in all of us is what makes this world so amazing. We are here on this earth to learn and grow.
Makes me think of this quote I saw. “And if I am wrong, educate me. Don’t belittle me.”-unknown. It’s so okay to be wrong, and it’s a gift when we learn from our mistakes, because it opens the doors to learning. I don’t want to reflect on the negative in my life. I do wonder though, if I had been given the freedom to experiment in life to see what I liked and disliked, maybe then, I would have had the confidence to pursue my dream job of becoming a reporter for National Geographic or with the New York Times.
When I was growing up and in my previous relationship, I was belittled for any dream I had. I was told I wasn’t good enough. I was told my thoughts and ideas were stupid. When I tried something and failed, I was belittled, instead of being told that I made a mistake, and being asked if there was something I could learn from it.
I remember this one time, I was backing out of the driveway and accidently backed into the side of my son’s truck. I scrapped it pretty good, and I dented my car. My husband was home at the time and came running outside. He was yelling at me, telling me how stupid I was for not looking. I thought I had enough clearance between me and the truck, but I didn’t. Instead of backing up more, I pulled forward and I was told how stupid that was. As my lesson for not being more careful, my ex fixed my son’s truck, but never would fix my car. He told me I messed up, so this would be a reminder for me to be more careful in the future. Every time I looked at that dent on my car, those feelings of not being good enough came back.
I learned from this type of behavior though, that I would work hard never to make others feel the way I felt. When my son had a car accident, that was his fault, I first made sure he was okay, then, I reassured him, we had good insurance and that’s what it’s for. The look on his face knowing it was okay, well, I know he appreciated knowing he was supported.
“The tongue has no bones but is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful with your words.”-unknown. I know we are all guilty of saying things that hurt others. I know I’m guilty of it. There’s been times that I would tease John and say something that I didn’t even realize bothered him. One day he said to me, when you say that, it sort of hurts my feelings. Oh gosh, did I feel horrible for hurting his feelings, and I was so grateful for him finally telling me. I told him a few days later, please, please, please, always tell me when I say something that bothers you or hurts you. Sometimes I’m a bit sassy and smart-assy, and I know it can come across in a negative way, but please, tell me if I’m too much, because your feelings matter. I only wish I would have realized sooner, mine matter too.
One of the best things we can do for one another is, treat each other with kindness and understand that we all have life lessons to learn, so instead of belittling what someone may say or do, educate them. If we have an open mind and heart, we can learn so much from so many people who come into our lives, either for a reason, season or lifetime.
Kindness really does matter. Encouragement is way better than making someone feel bad. There is already so much negative in this world, so if we can spread a little more kindness, we can make a small difference, one work of kindness at a time.
That’s about all I have for today, but I do want to say this, enjoy your day, go make a memory or two and don’t forget, love life++
Love Life with Dawna 