Creative Journal - Acrylic on Paper

Okay, so I’ve been away…but not in a foreign land, or planet, not really. I took November off from my normal routine and I wrote a draft of a novel for NaNoWriMo. That is, National Novel Writing Month brought to the world by Chris Baty, further proof to the universe that one man’s quirky passion can light a firestorm of creativity.

The good news is I finished. A Winner in NaNo is one who writes at least 50,000 words in a month. I capped at 55,553 or something like that. I’m still begging my closest friends and loved ones to read it, because I think it can be the groundwork for something publishable one day. However, I hold no illusions of life after publication. I’m only slightly bitter about the knowitall “I’ve been published, who are you, lowly blogger” tone I’ve heard from time to time. I truly believe those with real talent are far more humble than that.

Enough about writing, and on to my whole truth. I have stopped dancing. I never found a dance teacher. I have a day job that sucks away too many hours for too little of what I need most. Sure money and recognition would be fab, but what I really need is… well, let’s say it doesn’t exist in the same galaxy as my day job. So, I’m going in…my own mind and spirit, that is. I’ve started knitting again, painted a background for a studio painting, and begun a creative journal/workbook. Maybe when my mind and heart dance again, my feet will too.

My friend Dawn Clare spoke with  me recently and told me I needed to maximize my income by aligning my bliss with my daily life. In other words, if I hit the lottery tomorrow, it isn’t a surprise I’d live differently. If aliens abducted me and gave me choice to either die or live a whole new life in a new place of my dreams, I would make more than a few changes (but either way, I’d miss my loved ones very much in my new celestial home).

The day hubby and I wed he wore a film T-shirt under his dress shirt. It was “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” The alien wasn’t really scary. In fact, he was pretty benign by today’s standards. I can’t help but wonder if the evil monsters in my life would be negated and neutralized into nothingness if I simply switched gears. I’m pretty sure I’d start to dance (and sing) again if I did something I always wanted instead of playing it safe and working a day job that isn’t exactly heaven on earth. Safe sucks. Big time.