Posted by Tagged with Artists, Family travel, family US roadtrip, parenting, rest, roadtrip Posted in Uncategorized

Thanks for the Memories

A Year of Travel

Ocean waves crash against the towering cliffs                                                                    

Saguaro cacti raise giant arms to thank the setting sun 

Under cold ground, I pause in wonder at cathedral canyons 

Mountain top drives give new perspective and make me feel small 

The Grand Canyon brings tears to my eyes 

What could I have done to deserve such beauty

I have done nothing, for it is all a gift 

Soft sheets, slow mornings, and plenty of time 

Surprises in the form of beach houses and a Marriot vacation club 

Tiny houses, smelly casitas, creaky cabin beds, and deflating air mattresses 

A wide range of experiences made for a most memorable year

Time for petting horses and watching a rodeo parade 

For watching seabirds on the beach and waiting in anticipation for the daily sunrise and sunset 

Painting, journaling, knitting, watching Wheel of Fortune, and trying new recipes 

Learning about time zones, jellyfish, desert plants, aquaponics, civil rights, and redwood trees 

Eating étouffée, beignets, grits, a crab boil, clam chowder, charcuterie, BBQ, and sweet tea

All of the packing and unpacking helped me know the sweetness of a closet to come home to 

Growing up with cold made a winter of warmth feel extravagant 

What a gift to have so many daily walks to cross the bridges we needed to cross 

So many reunions with family and friends on the story hunt of a lifetime 

Sweet souls gave up their beds and their towels; made us meatloaf, and opened their hearts

We took a leap and the net appeared 

A crazy dream to travel the U.S. for six months became a reality 

Now that we are home, it feels like a dream 

An expansive catalog of memories that I never want to forget       

Posted by Tagged with art, creativity, Play, rest Posted in Uncategorized

PLAY

I have been thinking a lot about the word PLAY. Spend a day with a small child and they will remind you how delightful playing can be. Kids love building things and creating colorful worlds with their imagination. They are always on the move – dancing, bouncing, flipping, and jumping. They make a lot of noise, strange sounds, and funny faces. I’ve observed kids confidently share their stories and observations without any fear of rejection or criticism.

Here are 4 things I’ve observed while being around children. These words spell P L A Y.

PRETEND – Kids enjoy making up stories and imaginary worlds in their heads.

LAUGH – Kids laugh at everything. They think the littlest things are hilarious.

ASK – Kids ask a lot of questions. Questions are normal and expected.

YELL – Kids yell and cry a lot. They tell you what they are feeling and they don’t care whether it’s a good time or not.

As adults, we stop speaking up because we don’t want to be a bother. We stuff our feelings and stay quiet to keep the peace. We stop pretending, laughing, and asking questions.

What are some ways we can continue to “play” as adults? Here is a list of ideas my 7 year old helped me make.

Ride a scooter or snow mobile
Dye your hair
Play with bubbles.
Color or draw in a sketch book.
Fly a kite
Make homemade jewelry
Do a DIY craft
Play at a park.
Get some new picture books at the library
Have a spa day.
Make a fun music playlist
Go rock climbing
Play volleyball outside.
Invite someone to your house to play together

Whatever you decide that “Playing” means for you, I hope you will intentionally work it into your life. I’d love to hear your ideas.




Posted by Tagged with hobbies, rest, Selfcare Posted in Uncategorized

Plant Lady?

I’ve never paid much attention to plants. Lots of people own house plants. Some more than others. I always just saw these small green things as a luxury that I could pass by. When I’d walk into Trader Joe’s and see the plants, I would admire them, but never consider buying one because I was usually mentally adding up the cost of groceries and would rather eat than spend the money on something to look at.

Then one day I bought a plant and realized, “gosh, I really get a lot of joy out of being around this tiny living thing.”

I told my friend Melinda, “I have this one flowering plant in front of my house and I just sit and look at it every morning as I drink my coffee, and it makes me so happy”.

She said “Wow. If one plant makes you that happy, just imagine if you had a whole bunch of them how happy you would be”.

I start noticing plants everywhere I turned. Last winter, I bought a couple plants at IKEA and started watering them. I was so shocked that they stayed alive more than a month. One of them even started growing like crazy.

What is happening? These plants are staying alive! The one that surprised me the most was this one.

I got it as a gift from my daughter’s friend, Jose, last spring. It died for a week and then it came back to life and it’s been flowering ever since. I brought it inside and it is still going strong 6 months later. It’s like the little plant that never quits. It has died and come back to life multiple times. This little pink beauty reminds me that we cannot predict the future. So much is out of our hands, but we believe the best for people, and sometimes they surprise us.

My favorite houseplant right now is this one.

It started very small when I got it last winter. It has grown so much, and I love it. I am so easily impressed since I never expected these small living things to stay alive.

Here are a few other plants I’ve enjoyed watering that are no longer with us. (I guess they are not all meant to have a long life).

Do you love plants? Give me your best tips. I think I’m a plant lady on the verge of conversion!

Posted by Tagged with Artists, burn out, creativity, rest, writers block Posted in Uncategorized

Creative Drought

When I find myself not writing or reading, I know something is lacking. Like the earth needs water, one of my refreshing wells is words. Words bring meaning to emotions and experiences. However, when words are not enough, simply BEING in a place of beauty and taking it in feels like gulping cold, clean water on a hot day.

These dry times are bound to come. How can I bloom in the desert?

As I wait for some grand inspiration, some mountain top moment, some new work to present itself, I’m reminded that BEING in the PRESENT moment is what life is all about. Life is about seeing every landscape as beautiful and meaningful. The deserts, the mountains, the oceans, the forests, and the plains. Flowers do still bloom in the desert.

Here are some things I am doing to keep my creativity alive and blooming.

Choosing to do the small things.
Take photos of things that draw me in
Watering some flowers and plants and watching them grow Learning something new – ukelele for me Resting in a hammock near water.
Taking my kids to a sculpture park and bead store.

Speak kindly to yourself Avoid “should haves” and telling myself I am “lazy”. Remind myself of how far I’ve come.

Dream on Paper What would I do if there was nothing stopping me? Where would I like to be in 10 years? Write it down.

Do something that scares you For me this means not being afraid to approach new people and speak up in public. It means going down the water slide when I’d rather take a nap on my towel. It means trusting my instincts and pushing ahead instead of doubting myself. It means having hard conversations instead of smiling and saying “I’m fine” when it’s not fine.

Share one of your ideas with someone else Don’t keep all your dreams inside. Speak at least one dream out loud. If the sharing of your idea isn’t received, try again with someone else. Don’t give up so quickly. One “no” is not a closed door forever. Maybe try a window or look for another way through. Don’t give up.


One of my dreams is to find a way to make income without being in one place, so I can spend a year traveling with my family. Another dream is to write a book.

What are you dreaming of? How are you watering your creativity?


Posted by Tagged with artist, burn out, creativity, rest, The artist way Posted in Uncategorized

The Artist Date

Last summer and fall, I felt alive and full of ideas, words, and inspiration to share. My creative well seemed to be filled to overflowing. I started this blog and a Midlife Creative Facebook group. I also put together a gathering for women called The Artists Way for moms. Today, after 5 months of quarantine with my family if 6, no school, no normal activities, and very little alone time; my creative well feels empty. I’ve found myself less motivated, bored, lonely, and lacking new ideas.

As I pondered how to get some creative energy back, I remembered a practice called The Artist Date that meant a lot to me a year ago. An Artist Date, according to Julia Cameron in The Artists Way, is:

“A block of time, perhaps 2 hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your inner artist (a.k.a. your inner child). The artist date is an excursion, a play date that you pre-plan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist.”

This week I was walking a new trail with my kids and we came to a waterfall that we weren’t expecting. I found my inner child giddy with excitement. We continued along the trail and arrived at the most amazing overlook view of the Mississippi River. The first thought I had was of coming back to the spot by myself on an artist date along with a picnic (something fun like sushi), my journal, and uninterrupted time to stay awhile.

Here are some examples of artist dates.
Hiking, gardening, taking photos, cooking, kayaking, bird watching, rock collecting, trying out a new cuisine, going on a long drive down a country road, rearranging a room in your house, sitting in a candlelit room, listening to a symphony, browsing for hidden treasures at an antique store or estate sale, walking through a farmers market and taking in the colors and smells, riding a horse, arranging flowers, picking berries, looking at art.

Taking time to notice the beauty around you = an artist date
Country drives and giant wind mills
Making and eating a blueberry pie

From my experience, the artist date itself may not hold any magic cures for creative burn-out, but it IS helpful in coaxing the hiding inner artist out into the light. We are all born with a creative nature. There just may be times and places in our lives that we are operating in that creativity more than others. The more you give yourself permission to play, the better your inner artist will feel.

I challenge you to schedule an artist date for yourself. If you have kids, get a babysitter. Don’t talk yourself out of it like I did at first by thinking it’s not important. Another temptation will be to cut the 2 hour time short and sneak in a few errands or some grocery shopping. Keep the time sacred. Just as your date wouldn’t want you to cancel or cut out early to get more work done, your inner creative craves undivided attention from you and doesn’t want to be sold short.

Finding a place you haven’t been before can stir up new ideas

As a mom of 4, working from home during quarantine, I’ve had very little alone time. With fall looking like more of the same, it’s more important than ever to get back to scheduling artist dates as a way of being kind to myself.

How do you take time for yourself? Do you see a difference when you do? I’d love to hear what your idea of the perfect artist date would be?

Posted by Tagged with rest, Self care, self kindness, self reflection Posted in Uncategorized

Rest isn’t just for vacation.

Do you schedule yourself every minute of everyday?
Do you feel uncomfortable with long unplanned stretches of time? Do you wonder if you are missing something when you stay home on a Friday night and go to bed early?

We live in a world that tells us “Busy is Best!” How many times have you asked someone, “How have you been?” and their response has been “Busy!”

This year when my four kids went to school all day for the first time, I was intentional about not filling up my free hours. I decided to take the mornings to stay home and read, journal, and take long walks.
It was wonderful for the first few weeks, but then I started questioning my decision. Should I be doing more? Working more? Trying to take on another job? My slow mornings somehow felt lavish and something a retiree would do, but not a 41 year old.


Why is it so hard to give ourselves permission to STOP? To stop striving, racing, running, and competing,

One of the conclusions that I came to for myself is that I gain a lot of my fulfillment from being needed by others. I also have this nagging fear that someone that I care about will think that I am selfish or lazy. Being a helper is a big part of my identity, and rest involves saying, “No. I can’t help you right now.

What will it take for you to give yourself permission to rest? Rest is not meant to be an occasional luxury, but a regular rhythm that helps us find peace and delight.

Posted by Tagged with mothering, parenting, rest, Selfcare Posted in Uncategorized

A Brush with Self Care

As a nurturing mother, oldest child, and natural born helper, I didn’t give self care much thought until about 5 years ago. I didn’t have a clear understanding of the word.

I thought Self care = Selfish and I had been taught clearly from childhood that being selfish was bad. I still remember clearly the Sunday School song:

“Put Jesus first and Others second and put Yourself at the end of the line, And you will find true Joy in your life through J-O-Y. I loved that song. I lived it with great pride.

Then, I spent 12 years as a full-time stay at home mom with no time to myself. Add a few major life challenges and finding out I was pregnant with baby #4, and I reached major burn-out.

Over time, the realization came that I was not feeling the least bit joyful. I resented never speaking up for myself and always giving up my needs for everyone else. Through some therapy, I realized that I had lived my life treating everyone else kindly, but not being kind to myself – At All.

I have begun thinking of this topic of self care as Self Kindness

Love is Kind. I cannot truly love the people in my life unless I love myself. I began giving myself permission to rest from always caring for the needs of others. I had to figure out what was restful and then make time for it”

As a young mom, I remember coming to the end of a day after the kids had finally fallen asleep and the house was quiet, and thinking “Now, I can FINALLY rest” . I’ve earned it!!” I defined rest as a small compartment reserved for when the work was done.

Life can be hard. Really hard. There were days and weeks and years when the urgent drowned out the important in my life, and the only break I got was 5 minutes in the bathroom with the door closed. Self care for me started with a decision. I would make a daily choice to be kind to myself and at times that would mean saying no to the demands of others.

I have been gradually adding daily practices that have helped me find rest. *Candle light *Journaling *Drinking coffee *Walking *Going outside in nature *Turning off my phone *Time with friends *Reading *Smiling and making funny faces at myself in the mirror.

After intentionally trying to be more kind to myself for the past 5 years, I have noticed something. I call it a Brush with Self Care. Imagine a paint with water picture. The brush dipped in the water symbolizes self care. When you take the time to dip your brush and apply it to the pages of your life, you will begin to see colors emerge. The colors are the hidden talents, the things you never knew you loved, and the gifts that have been hiding in plain sight.