Wednesday, October 5, 2011

How Do You Slow This Thing Down?

I was looking for a picture to give this post some color. Here's an old one of Jack taken on my MacBook. I'm looking forward to the day when he's in a smiling mood again ...

I love the autumn months, but they always seem to speed by so fast. I've got one thing, and then the next and the next, and they're all wonderful things. They're lunches and walks and coffee with friends. They're working on quilts and books and sketchbooks. They're online classes on design and creativity and in-person classes on food and theology. It's all good, and it's all a bit too much.

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So do you have your Christmas shopping done yet?

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I'm giving a speech at a conference on Sunday, so the last few days I've been walking around the living room, talking to the dog. The dog naps through it. Is this a bad sign?

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Can you tell I'm feeling silly? I just wanted to post a post and say hello. To say life is good, but I wish I could slow it down a little bit.

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The online class I'm taking is called The Artist's Toolbox. It's through Quilt University and taught by the reknowned art quilter Lyric Kinnaird. It's a process sort of class, and it's good for me to be creative for creativity's sake.

A friend and I were talking recently about journey people v. goal people. My friend is a journey person. She's interested in what happens as she walks down the road and isn't so concerned where the road is leading. I'm a goal person. I like to know where I'm going and what's going to happen when I get there. There are benefits and drawbacks to both ways. And sometimes you can be a journey person and set goals, and sometimes we goal-oriented folks do stuff just for the heck of it. But it's hard for us.

It was hard for me today to sit in a cafe and draw textured wallpaper, but that was my assignment (to draw something textured) and so I did it. Just to do it. No goal, no grade, no finished product other than a piece of paper with a lot of hashmarks signifying texture.

I don't know how I feel about that.

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Here's what I feel good about: The fall garden! The Man has planted spinach, lettuce, and collards. He's ordered bok choy and garlic. We long for broccoli, but have had icky experiences with green broccoli worms that you're lucky to catch sight of right before you put the broccoli in your mouth. So no broccoli for us.

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I guess that's it. Just stoppin' in to say hey, as we say down here. Hey. Now you are free to go back and look at colorful Jack. He is a lovely boy, isn't he? He got an A on last week's history test. Yesterday he laughed at one of my jokes. I guess we'll keep him after all.

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ETA: Pom Pom was surprised to hear that I'm a goal person. It is surprising! It might be easier to think about it like this: I'm a project person, and I tend to finish my projects (even my knitting projects, except for the ones I give up on because there's no use going on). Really, I'm the sort of girl who needs a carrot dangling in front of me. It's the only way I get things done. Also, setting goals gets me energized. I love the process of doing things, and I'm not at all about doing things perfectly, so I'm not Type A. But I do like having a goal to work toward. It's because I spent the first twenty-seven years of my life being absolutely worthless. Now I'm self-correcting!

9 comments:

Gumbo Lily said...

Hey! (we say that at our house too) I'm glad you checked in with us. I think that autumn is flying by much too quickly too. Why is that? Maybe we're having "too much fun." You know...."Time flies when you're having fun!" Enjoy the moments.

Jody

Travel With Lulu said...

I love that multi-colored photo of him :) And yes, loving the fall garden right now - so beautiful...
XOL

Pom Pom said...

Jack's very cute!
Broccoli worms. Now I have the shivers.
I'm sure your speech will be fun to listen to! Travis finds your voice soothing.
I don't feel like fall is going by fast. Hmmm. I have to think about that a little.
Glad you checked in with us. You're fun!
Oh, and I would have thought you a journey person. I've never even sniffed at being a goal person. Maybe I need to review the criteria.
Oh! I speedily ordered the short story book you suggested! I can't wait for it to come!

magsmcc said...

Hello! Quirky woman! So much to think about, as usual1 I always relate to the first things you say and then you leave me far, far behind. So yes to autumn days that disappear, but on-line creativity? Such august happenings? Boys with As in tests? Phew. Afraid I'll plod on as a little journey person! I was a tourist in my own town today and sat in the City Hall coffee shop reading all the displays about Belfast's industrial past, thinkng about how my mum and her sisters were all part of that industrial past, in their linen mills. No textured wallpaper though, and to much to think about to get out the Kindle! Reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell- have you? Rest of Book Club not impressed, I gather, but I'm loving its surreal jumps from century to century, its apocoplyptic visions, and its wise cast over our past. And this final section is humbling indeed- but it's very quirky too! (A bit like reading your blog!!)

Tracy said...

Oh I adore Autumn. Cooler days, brilliant colours all around, and where I am that is a LOT. I love spring too with all the bursts of new things growing. Really, I just don't like summer because it's nothing like the perfection of Colorado Springs in summer. Ours are horridly unbareable.

Good on you for just doing something for the sake of it. I'm definitely in the goal phase of life. Maybe when my degree is done I'll go back to being a journey person at times.

Thanks for checking in - you always make me smile. And Miss Mischief is thrilled to have birthday wishes from her favourite author.

Angela said...

He looks great. if you decide against keeping him, I could tidy up my spare bedroom for him to stay in.
If I told you about the progress of my Christmas list, you might stop being my friend, so I wont say a thing.
blessings x

Pom Pom said...

No wonder my projects take one hundred years to complete. I need more carrots.

Leslie said...

Maybe you could do a little bloggy instruction on how to reach goals. I realized the other day that I am oblivious to doing anything within a time a limit and get distracted easily. This epiphany came while cleaning the shower. I can even find rabbits to chase doing that job.

Jack has BEAUTIFUL eyes! AND he laughs at your jokes? A total keeper! =D

What is your speech about? I m sure I would love to hear it.

The dB family said...

Jack reminds me of Bub at that age. They do get happier again -- except when they're failing French.

If Travis is like Maverick, he's just happy to know you're nearby. I'm sure you'll do great!

I'm a goal person, but I think I can be a bit of a journey person too. I'm going to have to read that a few more times.

Blessings!
Deborah