You Just Never Know...

Not that this has anything to do with art in a direct sense...but hang with me for a sec.

This morning, I woke up not feeling well. They still haven't pinpointed my diagnosis (as frustrating as that is!) so I remain in medical limbo. (Note: Avoid if possible!) I ached all over and had a really hard time getting the childebeasts going. It's tough to get out of a warm bed when it's frigid outside - especially when it's so dark in the mornings! The three of them will do anything to prolong their stay in bed for an extra 30 seconds. It might even be comical to me if I didn't have to put up with it every morning!

I get everyone off and sit down at the computer, glad to have some peace and ready to divert my attention from my own sucky-as-of-late life, onto something more interesting. I read all the daily digests from the various art groups I belong to. I usually choose a few blogs to check out from the posts in the groups and enjoy looking at what everyone else has created. This morning was a little different. I had extra time to spend on the computer and a yearning to connect with someone. This illness has sidelined me - I don't go out much. Ok, so I only go out to appointments. Which means I can spend weeks in the house without any human contact except what I have with the beasts (human and otherwise). There are stretches of time that I don't even know what the temperature is outside (except for hearing it on the news) - and if not for my extremely nosey kids, wouldn't anything is going on outside my front door. (Told you it was a sad life these days!)

I was feeling a little isolated this morning and drowning in this personal pity party I had thrown for myself. (No, I didn't even have streamers or a cake.) So I began looking at every one's blogs. I got to see Michi's really cool trip through Italy. I read a post by Wendy (from ClothPaperStudio) that absolutely cracked me up, as she used the term "faffing about" for fooling around or wasting time. (The terminology made me laugh - but I also spend way too much time "faffing about" so it gave me a new catch phrase.) While responding to her post (to let her know I think she's a riot), I accidentally emailed Jodi - which gave me a chuckle. If not for the one remaining brain cell...She actually emailed me back to let me know she does stuff like that as well. Phew!

I continued looking at blogs and checking out some lovely pieces. It's funny that most of the blogs I checked out had recent posts apologizing for not posting - and referring to being in art slump. (For the record, I'm not in a slump - I just can't get to all my supplies. Ever since I gave it a huge effort to build my studio in the living room, my entire stash is...out of commission. Until further notice.)

Then I came upon a blog I hadn't seen before. It was by Luna. Her latest post was about slowing down, leaving others to deal with their own dramas, and focusing inward. (Go read it for yourself - there's some great stuff in there!) I emailed her to let her know how much her post touched my heart and pulled me out of my pity party this morning. How, reading her post, made me see that I'm not the only one encountering a rough time. Being alone so much warps my brain - and I forget I'm not this island. There are other wonderful women out there to connect with. And that is just what happened this morning.

I received the nicest email in return from her. What exactly was said is something I will keep personal - but I will treasure her words for a long time. The simple reminder that we are all in this together, and that every parent has battles and struggles (especially with teenagers - who would be much easier to banish to a real island than deal with, sometimes!), and that just getting up in the morning is sometimes half the battle.

Rarely do I get choked up from an email - but her words were so sincere and encouraging that it was hard to choke down the growing lump in my throat. And that is what I mean about art influencing your life - even when it isn't an actual piece that resonates with you.

Art can change your attitude, day or life with the people you meet through the creative medium. I know Luna's note to me changed my attitude and my day - and definitely made my trek a little easier.

And that's why I'm grateful I have art in my life.