Coming Back Home
The road home has a familiar path, but the path is not always straight and the twists and turns can sometimes make you feel lost. I knew keeping this blog active and engaging would be a challenge for this girl whom has a brain that functions like a spin cycle; forcing the flow of good ideas out, but often get tangled in the process. I didn’t expect the mandatory isolation from the world to halt my creative juices from flowing. For months I sat watching the news, eating more calories than I could burn, waiting for inspiration to get off the couch and restore passion in my usual mediums. To be clear, I did do a lot of thinking, journaling, reading, and an occasional embroidered shirt for my grandchildren, but nothing felt worthy of sharing with you, my readers, whom I view with the utmost respect. You are here reading my words and my desire is to make them worthy of your time.
What brought me back home? Hope. Optimism that takes what seems impossible and futile and turns it into a vision. I don’t think the same as I did a year and a half ago. Maybe my eyes saw more pain than they wanted to see. Maybe I’m tired of living life guarded and less authentic because I was raised to keep peace and be agreeable. Could it be turning sixty and realizing this world I want to put my imprint on is not waiting for me and there is no time like the present! I started this blog as an experiment. An attempt to leave a legacy for my two girls and give them a glimpse of life through my eyes with a hope that it might benefit them and others along the way. To share my creative journeys through craft and sewing projects, travel and reflections related to life experiences, including the journey with my Mom through dementia. I realize I still want to do that. What seems different is my desire to be more open and unguarded. Instead of spending hours editing video to show you the perfect steps to creating a finished product, I hope to share more of the journey through trial and error. It’s how I function as a creative person. The Oxford dictionary defines trial and error as: “the process of experimenting with various methods of doing something until one finds the most successful.” Yes, you can follow pattern directions and it certainly will benefit you, but it’s when you experiment with those ideas that pop in your head, that you truly feel and experience creativity. The same goes in my travel and lifestyle blogs. I can’t envision traveling with an itinerary set by someone else who has no idea where I want to go or never makes a spontaneous diversion to see something spectacular. No bus tours for me! LOL. I want my posts about travel to inspire you to see more and create a more personal experience for you as you plan your destinations. I also don’t want to write about my life experiences and keep from you the reality of struggle and how each new phase of my Mom’s dementia brought new “trial and error” to our lives. So, with a bit of trepidation, I am coming back home with hope that you will embrace my authenticity as I give you what I have to give. I think my creativity will flow better without the mental gymnastics to show up polished and put together. Creativity is the messiest before the finished product is done. Creativity also doesn’t flow on a schedule, so bear with me as I produce more content. The goal will be weekly, but my best authentic self would say, “I’ll show up when I can.” Just know that this outlet is a part of me and sometimes it’s easier to hide than to acknowledge I might have something to give.
As always, thank you for stopping by and I wish you the best as you live your most creative self.
Brenda