Sorry I have been unavailable for a while. I’m not sure if I had the flu or food poisoning, but I’m starting to feel better and I just kept adding layers to my journal pages. That worked well with the Journal 52 prompt of Treasures. My sons, husband and cats are my greatest treasures (not necessarily in that order). But in the time since my last Gratitude Journal posting we have had Earth Day and that is definitely one of my greatest treasures, too. I thought it was wonderful serendipity that the page layout for earth day was leaves and I wanted that to come through. The combination of multiple layers and the bottom layer showing through is a tricky thing, but it worked! I like the practice of writing every day and layering my writing so that none of it is really legible. This was not my most positive journaling week and I’m just fine with those words not being retained for posterity.
I have included a quote by Pema Chodrun: “Practice not causing harm to anyone – yourself or others – and every day, do what you can to be helpful.”
I don’t usually journal or blog about my worries, however, I have been having vision problems on top of my usual migraines and I did not pass my most recent Visual Field eye exam. They want me to retake it in 6 weeks, but I’m rather worried. I have been monitored for possible multiple sclerosis for a few years and this could be a bad sign. The headaches are something of an impediment to art making, but the vision problems are an even greater one. If that means they can solve some of the eye problems that would be ok. So far I can still make art and that is a good thing. I did some big paper painting this week and cut shapes out. That is where the center of the eye came from and the little flower outlines.
With being sick I fell out of my morning mandala habit, but I have continued my bedtime A, B, C, s of gratitude so I will share a bit of an overview here. I’m not sure if I described it or not but what I do is as I’m laying in bed having difficulties falling asleep I start with A and think of things for which I’m grateful for each letter of the alphabet. I rarely get to the end of the alphabet, so some of these are made up today.
A – art, Amanda, animals, avacado, aquacize
B- Bridget, Bonhommie, books, bread, bananas, batik, blogging, blogs
C – cats, Carla, creativity, colors
D – daylight, delight, Dawn, drawing
E – Earth, Elementary, Enola
F – Friends, food, fun, facebook
G – grass, gesso, gel pens, Garfunkle and Oats, Gage, ginger ale
H – Hannah, happiness, hair, home, Hexi
I – inspiration, ink, ideas
J – Jessalyn, Janine, Jacqueline, Joanie, jellybeans, joy, Jill
K – kindness, Katmandu
L – light, love, laughter
M- Mike, Marq, Mom, money, meditation, medicine, mandalas, music
N – Night, Nicky, Nora Jones
O – open heart, oatmeal
P – paper, people, pets, purple, painting, Paul, plumbing, Pat, photography
Q – quiet
R – rooms, restaurants
S – Shannon, Sarah, silliness, synchronicity
T – truth, tv, teeth
U – underpants
V – vaccines, vegetarians, vegetables
W – Watercolors, words, writing, Winzton, WordPress
X = eXcitement
Y – YMCA, youths, yoga
Z – zebras, zippers
These are not in any particular order and the list goes on, but these are the ones I can bring to mind right now. So much to be grateful for. And isn’t it strange what you think of in the middle of the night?
What do you do when you can’t fall asleep?
