30 Things In 30 Days
30 Day End - Near Perfect
by Melissa Steach on 09/01/10
I'm glad that I've done this and I'm glad that it's done. Five minutes after posting my introduction on August 1st my new love interest, and my first in almost three years, blocked me on his iphone. I was stressed about getting my first post up by midnight so that it would show THE date and my website host wasn't responding. I called him for help. He was great and very helpful, but we were both stressed about work. One small comment led to one bad tone, one person got bent out of shape, the other took it personally and before I knew it - three weeks passed without any communication. Its kind of funny now. But at the time, it didn't feel like a good omen for getting started on my challenge.
My first lesson, however, was don't sweat the small stuff. Or at least not the date on my blog post. Despite the rough personal start, 30 Things in 30 Days gave me someting to look forward to doing for a full month. So rather than obsessing about "what happened?!", I'd find myself obsessing about "what am I going to do today?!". This, however, wasn't the healthiest either though it was a better feeling train of thought than the former.
Some good projects were created. Some sorry ones ensued. But even on the day I fell asleep feeling sorry for myself creating only self pity for the day, every day I did something for me. Something that felt good even when it was a pain to get done.
The more I let go of the expectation to create something wonderful than the day before, the more wonderful each passing day has felt. And even though I look at my self-portrait, - rendered without erasing, too much time or too much thought - I see how tired I am. Yet I also see how honestly I looked at myself in that mirror and how willing I now am to simply get it done, trusting that practice makes (near) perfect.
Like the Trees at Joshua
by Melissa Steach on 08/31/10
The drive was great. In all honesty, I enjoyed getting there just as much as being there. Joshua Tree National Park is much bigger than I anticipated. I did about two miles on foot and the rest in the car, which I drove very slowly.
Boulder after boulder jutted from the earth. Joshua trees, which I'm sorry to say, reminded me very much of a toilet bowl brush, were everywhere. The sky looked like a blue screen used for special effects and the temperature couldn't be better. It was never too hot and never too cold. It was just right.
I took some pictures. I peeled a grapefruit. I pulled out my sketchpad and tried my rusty hand at charcoal. The drawing wasn't so bad this time round. Maybe I'm finally loosening up towards the end of my challenge. Just the fact that I allowed myself a day of rest and pleasure shows me that this challenge has inspired some growth in me. Growth I hope will in time grow as tall and abundantly as all those Joshua Trees.
A Creative Roadtrip
by Melissa Steach on 08/29/10
I love to travel. As a girl, I would walk to the downtown public library during the hot Southern summers, sit in the abundant air conditioning and sound my way through issues of "Paris Match". To this day I can't read French, but I can sure as heck pronounce French words with a certain je ne sais pas quoi.
Back to the travel; something I haven't done much of lately and the last time I did, I sold everything I owned, left behind all that I'd worked years for and deconstructed all that I thought I wanted within three weeks in order to sequester myself for a year. From that experience I learned I could save the drama for my acting and art - and that boy, do I have a real passion for travel. Seeing, being, meeting new people in new places turns on my creative mind. Actually, it does more than that. It makes me a better, more deeply feeling, creatively compassionate and really happy human being.
In the honor of creating my Life and not just things, I am taking a roadtrip as today's challenge. On this day however, I won't traverse the Pacific. I'll simply drive East on the 10 and see what the rising sun shows me. Happy trails!
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun... and Argue
by Melissa Steach on 08/29/10
Here's another confession: I've been drinking lots of wine. Supposedly its not good for my hypoglycemia - but boy is it good for my nerves... and in surprisingly dramatic ways no less.
So my girlfriend, her daughter and I had a girl's night. It began after the two youngest children went to bed, the teenager's friends left and her mom and I had finished two glasses of wine each. The teenager layers on her two tees which she asked me to cut up and so I began. Mid-cut, her mom, my dear friend, asks "What do you think about the Mosque at Ground Zero?". "Is she picking a fight?" I thought. Somewhere within two minutes flat, my friend and I are talking loudly over one another. I'm gesticulating with the scissors and the teenager is looking rather uncomfortable.
After we cooled off and agreed to disagree, I asked the teenager if the discussion made her uncomfortable. She answered, "No, you guys always argue about stuff like that." I stopped and thought, that's actually the only thing we fight about. Maybe since we agree on everything else - we just needed a reason to fight. While making us some hot tea, to cool us down, my friend pointed out that its too bad my newly ex-man couldn't learn to fight and move on like that. Because after all was expressed, we couldn't stop laughing at ourselves.. And that look of discomfort on the teenagers face? Had a lot more to do with those scissors than the heated debate.
No Excuses, a Gourd and a Glass of Wine
by Melissa Steach on 08/28/10
Someone pointed out to me that as of late, my blog has been peppered with excuses. I guess so. The fact is, I bit off a lot and last night, I fell asleep with a very full, salty mouth. I'm sure this is no surprise considering how my creative projects have seriously tapered off. Which leads me to time management. One of the most valuable lessons I've learned from this process thus far.
An important part of time management, I'm also learning in a real - not just intellectual way, is prioritizing. Now granted, no one cares and its of no real matter if I don't finish a day's project. However, it is important to me that I do what I set out to. So, tonight I carved out more time in order to spend a little more of it creating. Drawing and coloring have been particularly relaxing for me as of late, so I whipped out a black sharpie, a white out pen and started my meditation - on a gourd.
Ah the simple things require no excuses. They are made better with a big glass of wine though.
