We made it through the day and night with little incident. It appears that the storm took a turn inland earlier than anticipated and we are out of harms’ way. Besides some rain and a couple of gusts of wind, we did fine.
I am grateful for that, but in reading of all the devastation that came in the path of hurricane Sandy, it is difficult to feel a great deal of joy. Seeing what people are going through is terribly painful, and I feel very deeply for those who have had loss.
I stayed away from the social networking page for the most part. While I did check in from time to time to see how particular friends were doing that were in the path of the storm, I wanted to avoid the sensationalism that occurs during events such as this.
A few of my ‘friends’ were remarking with glee how they were happy that Wall street was under water. One person in particular irked me because his usual posts were quotes from the bible, and now he was gleefully reporting damage in New York as if people there deserved it. Needless to say, he is gone from my list.
It is times like these when I believe that people show their true character. It is easy to put up a facade when things are going well, but when it is sink or swim and in times of need that people show their true colors.
I find most people that I know are truly caring individuals. I try not to let the few that are selfish or harsh ruin my view of mankind in general. Through my own work and blog here, I have met many decent and kind individuals from all over the world. While I may never meet them eye to eye, I find them to be a pleasure to know and enjoy the friendships we have forged online.
Through my travels over the years I have met many people in person that I first met through work and online and the overwhelming majority of them are true and honest and I am proud to call them friends. I see that camaraderie in both the woodworking venue as well as the painting venue and I think it is a wonderful thing to enjoy. I know that my own life would be a bit emptier without it.
I did spend the day drawing yesterday (and backing up and saving quite a bit.) I am working on a new series of ornaments and some other projects for the upcoming holiday season. I made good headway, and while I re-drew the first ornament three times, I think that I may have finally settled on a style that I want the series to have. I had more than one idea, and I was uncertain which direction to head with them. I may even cut both of them to see what I like best after they are cut. While it slows down the process quite a bit, I want to move ahead with a full heart and clear goals as to how I want them to be. And that takes time.
I find that I am still feeling a bit unsure of myself these days. That is part of the reason that I feel so stuck. These past couple months have weighed heavily on me and have temporarily crippled my ability to progress. It is as if I had a tray of blocks stacked neatly and orderly, only to have dropped them and watch them scatter to the floor. I am picking up the pieces as quickly as I can, and re-stacking them, but perhaps not with the certainty that I had the first time. I am a bit more cautious.
But it is coming. And little by little I am feeling more like myself. Perhaps I am temperamental, but for all the wonderful ideas for projects and patterns that I have in my head, making them become a reality has been difficult. Some days the harder I push, the more difficult the task is. It is just the way I am.
But there is hope. I saw a glimmer of it yesterday when I started to feel that rhythm coming back as I was drawing. Even as I scratched one drawing after the other, I felt it getting closer to what I wanted to see. It was as if the fog was slowly lifting and I would again be headed on a clear path. Almost.
These are the times I need the most faith. I spoke with a dear friend of mine yesterday (one of those long-distance friends that I referred to previously, and have known for nearly fifteen years) who was going through the same thing. It was good to know that I am not the only one who feels this way, as I have much respect for him and his work and I admire him a great deal. Somehow talking with him and knowing he understood validated my own feelings, and in that I found comfort. I know of other friends too who are in all corners of the globe and go through times like this. You wouldn’t think so looking at their work and what they accomplish. But they do. And I hope I have been there for them as a friend too.
So what’s the topic of this post?
I am still trying to figure that out too. I suppose that my first thoughts are with those friends of mine who are affected by the storm. I hope that they are all safe.
Secondly, I guess that in some ways I am weathering my own storm here internally, and looking for it to pass. It has been raging for the past two months, and things in my business have changed quite a bit. But I believe that I have given it enough time and it is time to pick up the pieces and move on. One day at a time.
I wish all my friends in the eastern United States and Canada a safe day. I hope you all are OK.
I don’t really know. Just venting I suppose and trying to sort things out.
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