Last summer, with little advance notice, my two elder daughters moved out of the house.
And with my fourth born off in Asia visiting my globe-trotting third-born, I found myself, for at least a few weeks, sitting on an empty nest.
Now granted, I had no right to be shocked. My daughters had lived at home for far more years than most parents enjoy, and it was high time they were off on some new adventures.
And my fourth born was just on vacation. Two weeks and she'd be right back.
But the effect was powerful. And much to my own surprise, I fell into an emotional tailspin.
The epicenter of my malaise sat squarely in my older daughters' now-empty bedroom. As logic would dictate, they had taken all the life out of that room, and the best belongings to boot, and left behind a sad, stripped down, and worn out bedroom
After a few days of utter shock and deep sadness, I got busy.
I corralled their cast off items into spare storage space in the garage, rearranged what was left of the furniture, and got busy filling in the empty places they had left behind.
Plants
Lamps
Art
Books
Bedding
As I whipped up my to do lists and whistled around town, my mood improved and my heart soared. I was building a new room, a new place for them to come home to, and I felt much better.
And almost instantly, a series of paintings took shape in my brain.
The images I saw were specific and clear.
For several weeks, I thought about them, planning out the colors, shapes, lines. I did mathematical calculations, and drew them out on graph paper.
And then I began to paint.
This is the first one.
Awww, I’m honored that you thought of me! And what a wonderful, insightful blog entry..
ReplyDeleteIt is hard when the children grow up and move on in life; such a changing feeling! I am fortunate that so far, all five kids are living fairly close by, and I get to see them often. My youngest son is still with me, even though I know there will come a day when it will be his time too. My younger daughter stays with me when she has free time, (lately not much!), so the feeling is very familiar.
That is one of the reasons I’ve started getting into art again. That, and it’s just time. Even though I’m still working full time at the moment, I suddenly feel like there’s no time like the present to get going with learning and creating as much as I can! I’m actually a little sad that I didn’t try to find the time to do these things more often over the years. I somehow always believed that to draw or paint, I had to be inspired first, or be in the mood! I can’t use that excuse anymore or too much time will pass by! I just need to continually find ways to be inspired now, and keep learning as much as I can, all of the time!
Last fall, I took myself on a little trip to Coupeville to attend a free workshop at the public library there. It was all about writing children’s literature. I loved it, and had such a wonderful time. It was super inspiring to meet a published writer and illustrator, and all of the wonderful people in attendance, too! Some people were at the “just interested” stage, while others were already published in some form. It was awesome. It’s little things like that experience and the recent day spent on Whidbey Island doing the artist “open studio” tour that keep me wanting more!
Life just keeps on changing every day, and I’m finding so much to enjoy.
Fall is one of my favorite seasons, but I wasn’t feeling quite ready for it yet. I’ve been timing my break at work these days, so I can race over the hill and down to the marina to chase down the sunset! This is so I can snap more photos to inspire my art. (Well, it’s also one of my favorite spots to hang out).
Just to let you know, I very much enjoy your blog. It’s your travel stories and dog stories that so intrigue and inspire me! Your stories of Malaysia, and your many Ranger and Gracie stories are so fun!! Your shopping ban (I should employ that very ban myself), is such useful information.
Thanks again Diane, for providing the rest of us with your much appreciated musings and adventures! ❤️✌It’s me, Cynthia