Looks Like Somebody's Got a Case of the Mon-days!

Before, I begin, I’d like to send a word of thanks to our sponsor. This week’s blogging has been brought to you by the letter A, the makers of ART and ATTITUDE. Remember, it’s what you create and present to the world!



Does the Monday feel like the start of a marathon workweek? Do you wonder, “How will I make it through to Friday?” If yes, please wander over to Susie Hewer’s blog. I listened to her Craftsanity podcast this weekend and it left me inspired and amazed! I will be spending my breaks at work this week catching up on her blog. And I must say, she has excellent taste in picking out blog templates!

Mondays will always come around, no matter how tightly we hold on to Sunday. There’s no point in fighting it. That being said, let’s start it gently and with gratitude.

Here are 3 things I’m grateful for right now (what are yours?) :

1. The huge tree outside my window and how it sounds like the ocean when the wind blows through the leaves.

2. The birds and squirrels who hang out in this tree, cruising over to the plate of seeds, the bird feeder, or the birdbath. Sometimes I’m perplexed by how easily they will capture my attention for long periods of time. You’d think I stepped into a fairy ring.

3. The long days in late spring through summer. I love that the summer seems to have started early and the seeds I planted have all started to sprout.

While I actually really like my job a lot and my co-workers even more, it’s hard to shake that feeling of, “Awww…I can’t sleep in and do whatever!” In light of the economic situation, though, I’d be grateful even if I had a job I hated with people to match. The reality of it, for me, is that if left to my own devices, I don’t think I’d really get that much more crafting done if I didn’t have to work. I’d do a lot of puttering about. Besides, there’s something about being at my desk and interacting with my co-workers that inspires ideas. Is it wrong that I actually miss them when I take a stay-at-home-for-a-week vacation? …or is it wrong that so many people don’t experience this? Every single day at work, I am guaranteed giggles and laughter. When bad things happen, people are kind and caring to each other.

The other part about my co-workers, which I appreciate so much, is their talent. As it turns out, there are several people who are very artistically talented. When I bring in something I’ve made, it’s fun to be able to share and get feedback. During our breaks, there’s no stupid gossiping or backstabbing. We talk about our hobbies and what we did over the weekend. We arrange play dates instead of hanging out in bars, complaining. It’s nice. Fantastic, really. Now that I’ve just written this and read it over, I really am fortunate, especially considering what diverse backgrounds we all come from.

That’s one thing about getting older that I love so much: differences matter less. Some of those differences have simply faded and are no longer vivid enough to earn anything more than a passing, curious glance. Positive changes.

The other part about getting older that I love is how much less I care about what others think about what I make. It’s come down to whether or not I enjoyed the process. That part of the creating is something solely within me and what I hold important. It feels great to get compliments, but if someone were to insult what I made, it wouldn’t mean much. It would be like me taking a vacation somewhere and having someone tell me how much they hate my destination. It wouldn’t matter since the trip was all mine to experience anyway. To those who seek to bring down with insults, I blow a raspberry in your general direction.

Oh- and I went and bought some papyrus, by the way. Then went to the library and borrowed several books on paper making. Haven’t looked through them yet, but the papyrus is still small anyway. Right now, it’s sitting outside in a bucket with a water hyacinth and some other water plant that I’m too lazy to look up the name of. As an added bonus, I discovered that it came with a teeny, tiny snail. Just a little bigger than a grain of rice. I will love him and squeeze him and call him George.

Well, the stagecoach turned back to a pumpkin and Monday is here. Go off and buzz around, busy bee. Remember- the task may feel small and redundant, but it’s an important part of the big picture. Go out and help things prosper.