Tuesday, March 2, 2021

I Love Making Lists and Finding Them Years Later

Today I rearranged my little office/studio space in Spanaway.  I have to say that I am very lucky to have space to work.   

Even though it's a small space, every couple of years I like to give it a facelift by putting the furniture in a different place.   In the process this morning, I found a list from May 1, 2017 where I listed 18 things that make me happy.   

It made me laugh!  

Two of them I have already written about--my convertible, and a good cup of coffee--and the list served as a reminder of things I can continue to write about.  But ...  what struck me was how it made me feel.  I see how my love of things like "a cat in a window" or "winning a contest" are still true, and that I am still that person.  I like the person that made that list!!

Lists like these hold many truths and they seem to be seeds of my dreams and goals.  Many of them belong in a family of thought.  For example, "a clean floor" and "a beautifully-made bed" and "a beautiful cut flower arrangement"   make for "a good yoga practice" in my home practice while yoga studios are still closed or limited.   "A delicious cup of coffee" with "writing a good poem" or "finishing a song" that helps me in "winning a contest" also go together.   It's really quite fun to group them into meaningful experience.

With all this time alone or limited contact, I really do think that life is a series of moments, and it's what we do with them that counts.  These simple things "make me happy" and I am glad I have a record of them to encourage me to keep going.






Monday, March 1, 2021

I Love Jigsaw Puzzles


I put together a lot of jigsaw puzzles.  Even before C-19, I had a habit of putting them together ever since I fell in love with a 1000-piece puzzle of zebras.  It was so challenging, and it took me almost a month to put together.  That was 2012 ... and I loved it.    Now, I usually do a puzzle each month that celebrates the seasons or the month.  Depending on the difficulty of the puzzle, it will take anywhere between three days to a couple of weeks.  

Puzzles are funny things in that I find that I don't want to stop once I get started--especially if I love the picture.   When I like a puzzle, I will stay up until the wee hours of the morning (great for audiobook listening!)    

Over the years, I have noticed how puzzles help me figure things out.  I have also noticed that I have become a snob about the kinds of puzzles I put together.  I have to like the picture that I am working to see.  They have to have an artistic quality about them too, that will hold my interest, and that I believe I will enjoy seeing complete.   

Sometimes I think that these C-19 times are like a box of puzzle pieces.   Every day we seem to be trying to figure it all out. Only with time do I believe we will see the full picture.