A 45 Day Flight Delay

This image by artist Kathleen Rossi-Howell for PaPaYa!
hangs above my studio work bench.  A powerful and
inspiring picture that reminds me what it's all for.

So, here we are just beginning the shortest and most brutal month of winter... ushered in with a big storm and some good news.  February is quite a duplicitous month.  We're still buried in snow (and ice and rain and wind), but they say we'll have an early Spring.  Well, I don't know about you... but that's good enough for me!

I'm preparing to FLY.  That means simultaneously caring for the nest and preparing to flee it.  As of today, there are 45 days to go.  And there's a lot of magic to be squeezed out of those 45 days.

I am busy making a special list.  One that includes all of the things I want to do and see, and all that needs to be done to get there.  Loose ends and new beginnings.  Completing Projects.  Planning adventures.  Taking care of business.  Looking for new opportunities.  Cleaning out the storage room.  Signing up for a new class.  Taxes.  Teeth cleaning.  New samples for my portfolio.  Tossing old products.  Jury duty.  And it goes on.

I love my lists.  They keep me organized and focused.  There is nothing quite like achieving a small project and crossing it off.  Done.  Onto the next.  It is so satisfying.  I can feel my wings stretching.

What do you need to do to FLY?

Write it down.  Writing something down brings an idea into the material world.  It is the beginning of a quest, an adventure, the genesis of a dream.  It is a powerful act of intention.  Thoughts can become heavy when unexpressed and carried around in the luggage of your mind.  Clear your brain!  Putting it on paper frees you from having to "remember."  How refreshing it is to have all that brain-space for other things!  And once you write it down a "thought" becomes a goal.

When I write things down my life definitely better, easier.  I stop living in my head and I can be in the "now."  My time is more fluid.  My sleep is deeper.  My dreams are pleasant.  My mind is sharp.  My thoughts are crystal clear.  My creative muscles are flexed.

Because I am still in the nest, small tasks that make me happy and comfortable in the moment are important too.  Another list I keep focuses on the smaller stuff; reminders to connect with friends, buy a new book, stock the pantry.  Keep extra postage stamps, batteries and lightbulbs.  Make a fresh pot of vegetable soup.  Following through item by item makes me feel loved, cared for and cozy.  I am both mama bird and the hatchling!

They say God is in the details.  Life is in the details.  The also say Love is in the little things. Think about it.  The broad vision plus the details and the little things is extraordinarily powerful. Having a larger vision is good... and backing it up with small steps is satisfying.  Cities are built brick by brick.  A life is lived moment by moment.  And who could not envision our mighty Grand Canyon?  Never forget what a tiny, continuous drop of water can do.

Write it all down and make it count... Get ready in the moment for the moment to come.  Prepare to FLY!

xo,
AGP