a little this, a little that

I wouldn’t actually want to live a life that went in a steady straight line.

Steady straight lines aren’t really my thing.

But this month – this past week – I’ve been bumping and trotting along a hundred little paths.

Here are some of those paths and where they’ve been leading:

• I’m working with two very talented local artists to create a mural on the side of a building in Travelers Rest. I’ve long wanted to bring some new art to the streets of TR. I’m no artist and actually painting a mural would not register in my skillset. But organizing and promoting and gathering the right folks together – that’s a task I can accomplish happily.

You can read the story of its beginnings right here.

(And, if you’re feeling generous – you can help us finish funding it.) I’m so excited to be able to work hard to get a living wage for artists because I think in a time of crisis we sometimes forget art in all its forms. But goodness, aren’t we grateful for what art brings to our lives? How healing is music and beauty, art in its many varied forms? How life-giving it is to gaze upon something beautiful. I feel legitimately honored to get to spearhead this project.

• We trekked it up to Virginia this weekend and spent a whirlwind of a visit with framily and friends to celebrate Jesse and Shayne’s wedding. The Virginia beauty was stunning and the time spent with some of my most favorite people in the world was refreshing and wonderful. It was too short, definitely too short. The wedding was special and tender and I’m so glad we were all able to go.

• I’ve started a class – an online class – to help me start that thing some of you have been telling me to start for a few years.

Writing a book.

I’m a little scared. That’s true. I thought about not mentioning it. (Like that speech I gave one time and told no one about.) But I’ll be needing your encouragement. The accountability will be good. And hard. And my first chapter is due this week and even though I’ve written some words probably every day of my life since I was 11 years old at least I still feel very intimidated.

So here I go. I’ll let you know how the progress goes.

Add to that little mix the regular life-ness of driving kids to the DMV (what??) and visiting my brother for his 50th birthday (huh??) and homeschool and this little hope of accomplishing a few home outdoor projects (what I’d give for skillsets in this area) and teaching school and living life with all these wonderful teenagers (four!) plus a tween and these pets (ask Piper about her mouse!) and so on and so forth until we all fall into bed exhausted every evening.

I’m grateful though, because all of these trails and roads are pleasant ones and that’s not a privilege I take for granted!

_________________________________________________