I view my life like a book full of chapters. Some are chapters I am ready for, plan for and some are ones I don’t know the meaning of until well into it and wonder if it will ever end. I have tried rushing the pages and turning them only to realize that it unfolds at it’s own pace. There have been times when I took risks (like shipping my belongings to California and booking a one-way ticket) and times when I played it safe. This next chapter I am very excited about. These last few months I have made changes that have me feeling like I stopped chasing the wrong things to make time for the right things. Things I did not even have in my dreams. Whereas many times I thought I was alone and on my own in this chapter I am surrounded by so many! In many regards the saying “sometimes things need to fall apart to fall back together again” is the theme of this chapter.
Every day my feet hit the ground and I look forward to taking on the day and seeing the people who fill it. When I am at track meets, baseball, soccer, basketball, etc. I am present. I am not thinking of everything else on my plate. Instead of 24 spinning plates I am working on paring it down to just a few. I am picking the most important plates. What do I really want to spend my time doing and who do I want it to be with.
This goes for my work as well. The year has seen the birth of a new website, a promise to myself to take stock in the art that up-lifts me and go for it. It means turning down opportunities that I know are just not for me. This year also has seen a direction that I never even had in mind…….licensing my work.
This means believing in myself, my art and what it stands for. Even when I am filled with doubt, comparing myself and wondering “why me?”. There are baby steps every day versus giant leaps.
But in it all……..there is doing what I love, being passionate about what I do and loving the family that grounds me every day. So is my artwork on a calendar, greeting card, mugs?…….not yet. But I use the word yet because……we have to see what unfolds in the next chapter. That in itself is worth waiting for.
Live a life you are proud of. In the end, your greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things that don’t matter to you. We never tell ourselves that we will never live our dreams. Instead we just keep talking about how we will start living our dreams tomorrow.”
blessings for you today. thank you for sharing your thoughts, your life and your art.
Thank you so much Bonnie! ♥ Ditto to you!
You are an inspiration to me and my artwork!
THANK YOU!
Wow! Love this blog post! Very inspirational! You are so uplifting about life. You really make me want to look towards the positive! Thanks Tracy!
Thank you Lisa! Your words mean more than you will ever know!
So cool!!
Thanks Jean!
You’re such a positive inspiration! I’m very happy I found you and your blog/website/Facebook page, even the amazing bunch of people that are a part of it with their talent and good spirits. Thanks for sharing the art, the love and the care!
Thank you Aly for sharing and participating in our amazing group!
Thank you for sharing this post. You are a great inspiration and I love your blog and your ustream. Keep up the good work!
thank you Mary-Ann…………the dreams just keep on unfolding!
You inpire me everyday … Thank you Tracy.
right back at you my friend! ♥
YAY YOU! You are doing such great things!
La-
♥ determined not to stop doing what I love!
You are such a precious person, Tracy. You deserve all the best things in life. Thank you for sharing your dreams, goals and even the chapters. Even though the chapters are not always written by our hands, they still fill the pages of our books and they are what provide those “Wow, I can’t believe that happened to me!” moments in our lives. But once we bounce back, we realize that they’ve made us stronger, confidant and free to love more, not only our family and friends, but ourselves, as well. Your happiness just shines through your art. I mean after all, it is usually full of beautiful bright flowers and positive loving script!! Your Art is happy therapy for all and we are so lucky that you share. Cheers to many new chapters! May they be full of love and grace and lots of paint 🙂
Laura you are so right! and I love that last statement………may yours to bee full of love and grace and lots of paint! We are all in this together! ♥