Category: Art Journey

I seem to be having rather an odd evening.

Many things are as expected. Bill’s off doing the techy male bonding thing. Iron Chef is on tv. The big dogs are snoring gently, as close as possible to the air conditioning vents.

A couple of things are different.

I sliced a significant gash in the tip of my left ring finger a couple of hours ago. (Who knew mixed media journals could be dangerous???) This makes the creation of tomorrow’s blog post more challenging than usual.

And, my head is swimming in stories I wish my Dad knew.

He passed on before Dave graduated from Vet School, which he would have loved. And, while he was a huge fan of Kelly’s, he never met our girls. They would have lit up his heart, for sure.

And I’ve been busy learning new things and new stories, many of which would, I suspect, have been puzzles for him.

Me, the artist? The counselor/coach? The author?

Me, the collector of ancestor stories I’d bet my last nickel he never imagined?

Me, the blatantly liberal political activist?

Let’s just say that I suspect there are some things we would disagree about.

There is one, though, that I imagine he’d go for.

It’s the tank top my buddy Daphne is wearing in the photo.

Able to choose.

Granted, it might have meant something different to him than the first thing that comes to mind just now. And that’s okay. It means many things to me, too!

But that’s the way I remember him most. Able to choose.

So, tomorrow, the Legendary Husband/Dad/Grampy and I will go have lunch on our favorite sidewalk – hoping there are homemade Vidalia onion rings! – and spend a bit of time wandering down memory lane with those who came before us and planning some time with those who are making their own ways in the world these days.

And, then, more making space, in my world, for that which is being created within me.

Blessings to you and yours from me and mine!

ps… if you, too, are aware of standing between the past and the future, come check out Your Epic SuperPower Path. It’s a free, fun adventure and, maybe, a new way of seeing!

pps… need a tank top? Daphne will set you up! Just click here! (It comes in several colors and lots of sizes!)

Family legend holds that, when I was just over a year old, I was in a store with my mom when I experienced – shall we say – a bit of a diaper disfunction.

Mom took the obvious action and headed for the door, wanting to get out of a perceived horrifying situation.

I, on the other hand, early language junkie that I was, screamed, “I wanna shop!” the whole way to the parking lot.

And, yes, I’ve had some more practice shopping along the way!

Between my orthopedic challenges and the whole pandemic thing, I’ve gotten pretty proficient at the push buttons-wait for packages model of procurement, despite my growing questions about the whole bigger picture behind some such enterprises.

This week, that plan kind of fell apart.

You see, I need chairs. Two of them.

And not just any chairs will do!

I have limited space and a whole lot of things to accomplish. Comfort and function are tied for first place. Which is not a bad place to start.

So, flexible chairs for tea and coaching clients of the talking sort. Also the drawing and painting sort.

Sturdy. Resistant to dog hair and drool. Easy to re-arrange. You get the drift. I even made a list!

And I hunted online. A lot. With very little progress. Frankly, I was getting pretty tired when Grandmother Moon volunteered some guidance.

So, yesterday, I climbed out of bed full of the radical notion that I needed whole-person shopping and that was going to require actual in-person shopping!

My options were limited, for back and shoulder reasons, to places that did not involve the big road. Read that, a favorite neighborhood wonderland! And so I set out with my walking stick and fav sneakers and my magic denim vest/purse complete with a measuring tape, the requisite political buttons and my fabulous new bizness cards!

The Inner Critic hitched a ride!

Wrong color! Too much money! There’s only one! Too square!

You’ve probably had similar conversations along the way…

Blessedly, the Inner Critic, who means well but is terribly afraid of trying new things, was distracted by a booth full of old books, and I welcomed the Muse into the adventure.

She tends way more in the direction of What did you learn?

Over the next hour, my responses included: Too low! Too squishy! Too hard to get out of! Too itchy! And, to make our Inner Critic team member feel valued, lots of Wrong color!

Frankly, I felt a whole lot like Snow White, in the place where nothing was just right!

And I was learning a lot!

So, exhausted, but fairly pleased with myself, we headed home with a particular chair calling to me from virtual land.

The Legendary Husband, who tries to be a bridge between the Muse and the Inner Critic, suggested maybe – just maybe – ordering only one and trying it out.

It wasn’t the craziest idea I’ve ever heard!

So, we wait. (It’s on the way!)

The Inner Critic has agreed to take a couple of days off, given the fact that I did such a good job with the measuring tape!

The Muse just winks at me, with that little half-grin which implies we’ve got this.

I hope so! At the very least, we’ve avoided a whole lot of things that wouldn’t have worked which is a lot like using my SuperPowers for good!

And, just in case you have things on your list, like being and doing and mattering, and could use some help along the way…

Go here and do this!

(My Inner Critic will keep yours entertained while you actually do a new thing!)

ps… happy birthday, Mom. We miss you!

pps… in honor of my girls and their graduating adventures, a special deal on my favorite mug… which is a decidedly SuperPower kind of thing! Just click here and the elves will automatically adjust the price in your basket!

ppps… the lovely lady in the painting, who sees in several ways, is a glimpse of the Muse!

Once upon a time, about 15 years ago, I was sitting in my living room with a group of amazing women, celebrating a magical workshop of creative giving we’d just led. And, at the risk of seeming, well, nostalgic, we were singing old summer camp songs. Mostly Peter, Paul & Mary.

Suddenly, the phone rang. I ducked out to answer. Little did I know, my life was about to change in a way that still amazes me every day.

My son was calling from Scotland. We did the hiya howya bit for a minute and then I heard this: Mama, you’re going to be a grandmother!

Witnesses would attest that I said nothing but Wow! for the next several minutes, followed by a flood of tears. I was utterly overwhelmed by the realization that my whole world had just become different. Bigger. Brighter.

The next thing I noticed, after a few more days of Wow, were the voices of teachers in my head. The two most insistent, oddly, both named Steve.

Stephen Covey was chattering about his model to gauge how to prioritize choices in life.

And H. Stephen Glenn sounded as close to preaching as he ever got with the core of his gospel… what our kids most desperately need from us.

Kind of oddly, for a person with advanced degrees in the way we’ve always done it, I don’t much care if this next ah-hah sounds bizarre. (It kind of felt bizarre at the time!) It is, simply, the truth.

I was born to be a grandmother! A Fiercely Compassionate Grandmother.

Not simply in the genetic sense, but in the universal sense. To act on the things which once felt theoretically important, but had suddenly begun to feel urgent, with a little one of my own on the way.

To be one of those five adults for as many people as possible, because kids aren’t the only ones who need them.

Especially these days.

And, yes, I’ve left an intentional bit of mystery in this tale, because curiosity is our best state for learning new things and making the changes we most long for.

I will come clean about my dream…

That we ALL claim our SuperPowers and use them for good!

Preferably now!

So, if you’re ready for some help along the way, I’ll be your Fiercely Compassionate Fairy Grandmother, and help you do just that!

Curious about where your path leads and what it all means, especially in these days???

Good!

Go here and do this!

We’ll start with your dream and add a lifetime of wisdom, a good bit of creativity (Yes, you are!) and a whole boatload of Big Why?

We’ll turn that into a path you can see and feel.

And, we’ll add a sprinkling of intentional  magic to keep you on the road, believing.

We’ve got this!

ps… know some likeminded wise women? Please share! sueboardman.com/superpowerpath/