Now that all my kids are in school full time, the question becomes, "What do I do with myself?" Do I fill my hours with "me time", doing whatever I feel like, especially those things which are difficult with kids around, like nap, watch Netflix (they always have the tv!), go grocery shopping, take the dogs for a walk (all of which I did yesterday), or do I start doing those things which I've put off for so long, but which a part of me thinks that this will fulfill my creative purpose, like writing, drawing, painting, or maybe coming up with a new creative hobby that I haven't tried before?
It's been about 15 years since I've drawn or painted or created artwork, which used to be my absolute favorite thing to do as a child. The last time I did this seriously was when I took the art classes in college. I know it's easier for me with specific instruction on what to do and techniques to use than it to rely on my own motivation and imagination, which is why a number of times over the past few years, I've looked in the local university catalog to see if there was a class I could take, but it was always at a time that wasn't ideal, or it wasn't the art class I was hoping for. Now I've got these days free, what do I do?
I just noticed that over the past 3 days, I have spontaneously mended 4 pieces of clothing that I saw needed it. I didn't do it because I felt like I had the time now, or because I'd been putting it off, but because that was what the moment required of me. *4 times! In the last 3 days!* For some people, this would be a "Wow! That's a sign! You should totally do something along those lines!" But did I enjoy doing it? Not particularly. It felt like a chore. What about tatting, that I used to do when I was a young adolescent? Did I enjoy that? I think so. And it is an art form of my mom's that I want to have continue because not many people do it anymore, and most people see it and say, "Is that crochet?" Well, how about crochet? Cross-stitching? Jewelry making? I used to make femo-beads and necklaces in college, and I liked that and what came of them. Would I want to do that again?
I don't really feel a pull in any particular direction. Although, speaking of my mom's legacies that I want to continue, I started practicing Tai-Chi again this morning because it's been 8 years since I learned the Wu Style long form. My mom is now teaching the Yang style 24 form, so I started following along to a couple different YouTube videos, but it's hard to remember the shorter forms which are harder to recognize, and I of course don't know this sequence.
So what will I do tomorrow? We'll see!
