The Logbook

Last week, I was loaned a book.  I read it over lunch on Wednesday (it was quite short).  Steal Like an Artist, by Austin Kleon, which is the advice he would give to his 19-yr-old self.  He's a creative type ('a writer who draws') but this book is really some tips for living life creatively - something that should be embraced.  Even if you have what you believe is the most boring job in the whole entire world, you can be creative in some way with that job, or try to be creative in some non-job area of your life.

Much of the book was not new to me, but it's good to have it said in different ways.  One of the suggestions was to keep a logbook.  This is something I've been doing sporadically (in the sense of noting thoughts, occasionally, in my phone), but the idea is to keep a log of daily events, daily.  This also ties into the philosophy of a little bit, frequently, adding up to a lot over time (ahem, just like practice...)  Today, I began mine.

I had a little notebook given to me by a past student, beautiful quality paper, and blank inside.  It's A5 size which is perfect for all my bags.  Mostly today I jotted notes while on the train, so I'm not going to share my already-messy-but-even-worse-due-to-public-transport handwriting.  Some notes from today include 'brilliant blue sky', 'music folders flying off stands' and 'why do people put bananas in plastic bags?'. 

I'm curious to see what effect this has on my creativity, my mood, and my Crazy Lady status.

Today's photo:

It appears that spring has had second thoughts, and we were back in winter mode today.  This came with mega winds (not fun for outdoor performances!) and the brilliant blue sky.  I found the clean lines of the fence and chimney against this backdrop, with some high sparse clouds, quite pleasing visually.

Expression of Gratitude

By 'Expression of Gratitude' I don't mean compliments - although they do come in the same category for my brain.  I take things as they are, and really have to think about saying 'well done' or 'thank you' or 'nice outfit'.  With practice, I am getting better at compliments.  I am also improving, I think, at saying thank you.  But expression of gratitude, on a deeper level, is uncharted territory for me.

I know that 'counting your blessings' is a good mood-booster (lots of 'o's in those three words).  I also know that an expression of gratitude is a valuable thing to receive.  When I receive a thank you for something I just do, it is such a delight - and sometimes, as much a blessing for me as it is for the person saying thank you. 

Recently, I have been feeling especially thankful.  A few things prompted me to write a letter to the people at the heart of things.  Although I'd been thinking about this letter frequently, I found it exceptionally hard to write.  I'm still not convinced it's the best it could be so I haven't yet sent it - but almost.  It is more for me than for them (selfish, I know, but some things need to be done), for me to say, I'm not just here because I haven't found a reason to go, but I'm here because I want to be here. 

This is not something I can do too often, but I feel it is an important skill to have in my repertoire.

Today's photo:

My dad had a roast beetroot and feta salad for lunch.  Once finished, I found the beetroot juice pattern left on the plate to be particularly appealing.