Here is something I know about myself. I am prone to making pronouncements to myself about new habits that I want to build. I am also loathe to share these pronouncements with others, because, here’s another thing I know about myself. As soon as I falter on the path to that new habit (which is usually quite early in the journey), I am very likely to step off said path for good. These are endeavors such as exercising, eating right, writing, connecting with loved ones, watering plants, making art, praying, going to bed earlier. I resolve to start this new thing, and then, when I fail one day, or two, I expertly convince my habit-making self that I have failed for good. In addition to the obvious and sad lack of self-love that this indicates, it also doesn’t bode well for me ever practicing anything like picking myself up, dusting myself off, and getting back on the trail.
Resolving to create words or art regularly for a blog was my most recent effort at “self-improvement.” And making that public to friends and family was my way of seeking accountability.
And yet, here I am, at the end of March, with nary a thing shared. I could explain this by way of some recent and significant draws on my time (of both the sorrowful and joyful types), but, really, most of that would be more excuse-making and would result in more self-recrimination, and no more certainty that quitting would not still happen in the near future. Today, I’m putting one decidedly tentative toe back out there, and–without excuse or apology to myself or to any dear ones reading this–saying, “Hello, from the vantage point of March, 2021!”
What more apropos image for myself than the one above, then? And here are some others that I recently worked on, as well.
The back story is that I have been on the hunt for words that are in the public domain, and, therefore, safe to quote or publish, and have lately been in the mood to use ink and art paper to make note cards, or framed work (any thoughts on that, friends?).
