Filling the Great Sky
Art Is ....Over - for now!

Gratitude for Mondays

Yes, for Mondays.

Mondays bring me back to reality. I must go to work, I must have an income, I must have a job.

Why does this make me grateful?

Because I do have all those things.

Right now, in my profession, having a job is incredibly fortunate. Kids are graduating law school with no offers and no opportunities. Mid-level attorneys are being laid off and scrambling to work per diem, find clients, and reinvent themselves. Established managerial-level lawyers are finding the same.

So I am grateful. That's not to say that when I am at work I am not sometimes frantic, overwhelmed, exhausted, anxious, depressed, and at my wits' end. Lately, I am all those things. Daily. So I have to find a way to balance my life in order to preserve my health. And lately, this is an everyday occurrence.

Work is c-r-a-z-y at the moment. Suddenly, I'm eating bagels again, hunting for chocolate, downing too many cups of coffee, eating greasy sandwiches for lunch, and relying on take-out food for dinner.

As I reached for a Twix bar that someone (enablers) had a big bowl of at a meeting, I realized that I really needed my job and that my job is really stressful, but I'd be damned if I would let this job get me back to where I was before I had surgery. And believe me, it's not that hard to do.

So I made the decision that I had to work the job but I couldn't let it work me. Today I had a balanced lunch and salad for dinner.

More importantly, or just as importantly, I am working on my mental health.

This weekend, I was completely immersed in art. I toured an entire building filled with art studios in my own town; I went to a friend's art show;I made two pieces of new artwork, one for the magazine, one for an auction; I did demos for the class I'm teaching last week; I wrote up my lessons plans and printed out several articles for enrichment. I wrote up the notes for two workshops, selected several art exercises for them, and even put together an Elpheba outfit to wear.  I also gathered way too many art supplies, ran to several art supply stores, made more lists, and  managed to make Sunday dinner.

I was dragging by Sunday night, but it was a good tired. I was so involved and busy that I didn't give work a second thought. I was so beat by Sunday night that I bypassed Sunday night anxiety and went right to sleep. I went to work today feeling like I'd been away for the weekend.

Work hard, play hard. Have a supportive family that fills in with dogs and errands when you need to concentrate on yourself for a few days. Find friends who are available for art dates, or whatever your pleasure is.

Know when to make time for the things that are important to you so you can in turn be available for those around you when they need your support.

Because when you are halfway through Monday, chances are your blood pressure is up, your eyes hurt from being on the computer so much, and you are at your wit's end again. But when you go home, you are going to letter a canvas and you need steady hands and a quiet mind.

It sure beats sitting on the sofa and stuffing your face with popcorn and watching endless sitcoms.

Make art, read, write, knit, collage a canvas, sew up soe curtains, tear out decorating pictures from a magazine, have a glass of wine, take a bath, call your mother, or bake a pie.

Because tomorrow will still come whatever you do.

 

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