Contrary to my overly optimistic plan, putting on my Christmas hat has not added more hours to my days or more oomph to my hours. I am not even close to where I need to be for the deadlines that stir, like waking dragons, on the near horizon.
Waiting for the organic impulse to make cards, maybe a gift or two, rather than bullying my unwilling self into starting them sooner has resulted in (is anyone surprised?) last-minute anxiety. The very thing I worked so intently to avoid.
There is also a non-Christmas project due in another state by the 27th. I very much want to complete it, in the best fashion, and need to allow myself time to noodle.
All of which is to say that I have missed keeping up with my favorite bloggers, missed being able to give myself the option of commenting on their posts. It feels like an accidental exile, not a happy thing.
I miss checking in to see what you've shared and I will return in a more consistent way...soon. Meanwhile, I'm the one with the pencil or paintbrush, those vertical lines between my eyebrows deepening as I try to turn thought into matter.
27 comments:
If all it took was a "Christmas hat" we could all have our lists checked off and be sitting in front of a roaring fire with an eggnog or cup of mulled wine to hand while we perused Dickens, listened to carols and watched the lights twinkle on the already decorated tree.
If at no other time of the year, procrastinators are in wonderful (and multitudinous) company this week of Christmas.
Take a breath in to calm, let out a breath and smile - all shall be well dear one. We'll all be waiting when you have time to visit again.
Happy and joyous holidays, Erin
The all important Christmas hat is not to be underestimated.
Erin - Yes, sadly the hat was not the answer. There is no substitute for an early start. And to myself I say, good luck with that. You are gracious and kind and I promise to breathe...and look forward to more browsing time. Happy days to you too, my friend.
Laoch - I fear it has, in this case, been overestimated, though perhaps I'm doing it wrong. It sure looked like a last-minute reprieve.
Bloggers don't expect a lot of attention around Christmas. You've been so consistent and interesting, I look forward to what you come up with after the stress magically vanishes with Santa's reindeer.
I'm with Erin on the fantasy and breathing on the reality.
I work at a newspaper. I don't get anything done without a deadline. Sometimes I even work better that way!
Good luck to you! We are almost through this season. I have to hope things will slow down soon.
xo
Rachel
Kass - Thank you, and for your belief that stress will vanish with Santa's reindeer. And why not? I've already sent one IOU with a note saying there will be a delay.
Artist and Geek - Nothing benefits from chasing ourselves in circles, even if we run very slowly. I really have pared things down to the most simple basics. It is adjusting to having that be acceptable that is the challenge. Now to tackle - and master - the non-holiday drawing in a timely fashion. Breathing all the while.
Rachel - Newspaper work taught me to write under the pressure of deadlines, in the midst of confusion, and it is a lesson that serves me still. My own natural, not necessarily healthy tendency to procrastinate on non-written things is what backs me into a corner. That and forgetting how everything seems to take me three times longer than it once did. Thank you, I'll hold on to your good luck. xo
I find myself getting "behind" my following as well. I usually like to leave a comment but have opted to remain silent if I really don't have anything of substance to contribute. You can count on me to return as regularly as possible, though.
I keep looking at your Christmas Hat. For some reason I think a kitten will climb out of it.
xr
Oh how I was I had a magical Christmas hat...(sigh) if it were only that easy! We totally understand...I believe Thanksgiving through New Years is total chaos! At least it is for me. I honor and bow before you in attempting to "make" gifts...I have lofty thoughts, but cannot seem to manage the energy, the organization or the focus to get THAT done...
Merry Christmas to you dear friend.
Dear Marylinn, if it's any consolation, I feel as though I'm just about ready to leave August and enter September. How did we arrive at December so fast? I put on a Christmas hat last Friday morning, then - this is how it was - forgot I had it on and went through the rest of the day with it on. It was only when I came to brush my teeth in the evening that I realized it was still on. Ho hum.
I hope your vertically-furrowed brow has been allowed to relax since you wrote this post - and that you turned thought to matter in a wonderful, satisfying way.
Love
Claire xo
I think my New Year's resolution will be to start on the 2011 holiday season on January 1, 2011.:)
As the designated card maker, I discovered that buying is much faster and in some (sad) cases more appreciated.
Best wishes, Marylinn, and a rich new year full of passion, curiosity, health and flexibility. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. It's been a pleasure. xo
Robert - I will try to intuit your reading here, when you can visit. And, as promised, I look forward to your posts, for all the places they take us, all they provide. Be well and have a very Merry Christmas. I hope Lydia has a splendid holiday.
Rebecca - I hope you are right. The snout I've seen nudging under the cap's edge did not resemble a kitten. xo
Donna - If the silly hat had that much magic, I'd go overboard and wear it every day (I imagine it would wear out like the battery in our remote control...only faster). At a point we just have to accept whatever the situation IS - things not done - and find a way to be some version of comfortable with that. It is homemade or it doesn't happen. I trust there is always next year. Merry Christmas to you also, my friend. xo
Dear Claire - If I went out more, I can easily imagine forgetting that I was wearing my Christmas hat, curlers in my hair or that my slip was showing. How DID December get here already and how can it now be almost gone? Some thought has been turned into a bit of matter and I hope/trust there will be more. I think perhaps I was intended to hibernate and not have to think about some of these things. Thank you. xo
Artist and Geek - The sad fact is that an early start is always my intention. The cards I did get made - illustrations on corrugated cardboard postcards, colored with pencils - seemed well received but the recipients were carefully chosen. Buying is much faster and the choices are quite glorious...I have just not been very spendy. Otherwise, that could solve the problem easily. I reached back into the archives instead and hope I didn't send something that will have them saying, Not THIS card again. Sigh.
Melissa - Thank you so much. What a pleasure, a joy, to have found you and the others met here. I hope to see you at your blog before the New Year. In the meantime, all the beauty of the season. Your brave, honest writing inspires me and your generous heart is a gift. xo
Marylinn. LOL. I've had that happen, tried to keep organized track of who got what image. Apparently not that organized. Oops.
Saw some mixed media cards the other day that could have saved me a lot of time and just had to support cards made by disabled artists and...why am I procrastinating on the blogosphere?
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR to you and your family.
somehow I have managed to noodle, clean kitchen cupboards and make tiramisu...
put the nooding on top priority...it will yield good results.
Artist and Geek - How my process seems to work is, when it is time to do something important, there is a prompting that occurs, like a knowing, even if it doesn't quite make sense it is very clear and I have learned to trust it. Last December the direction was to commit to doing a minimum of 10 postings a month, to be more intentional and serious. It comes when it comes. Perhaps it is not quite time yet.
I would be right behind you, selecting the cards for a good cause and need to be ready to do that during 2011. The fewer things I hold myself hostage over, the better.
A very Merry Christmas to you and yours. I am so happy that we've met here. I look forward to your step into the blogosphere.
Denise - Noodling and a bit of sitting like a lump seem to be winning, though today there HAS to be some activity...figuring out scanning. Nothing like leaving it until the last minute. Anything else would be too unfamiliar.
Mmmm, tiramisu AND clean cupboards. xo
Thank you Marylinn. As do I.
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