It's been a long time.
Summer means gardening, and that's where I've been a lot this season.
I have found the therapeutic value of getting up from my desk/easel/computer and heading outside to dig in the dirt.
and the rewards of all the planting are blessing me right now.
I have glorious sunflowers (that my daughter, Ola planted) reaching their pretty faces up toward the light. They are one of my favorite things in the yard.
In French they are called 'tournesol" which means "turn toward the sun."
I was stewing over a particular problem.
My mind was chewing on it over and over, thinking of the negative side of this situation, not knowing where the solution would be.
So I have learned in these cases that going off to my journal to work - something I have not done in quite a while, is a good way to redirect nagging thoughts. I had some photos of my glorious sunflowers, so I cut out one, tore out the other. ('cuz cutting can be pretty tedious.)
Gluing them down, then adding some dressmaking pattern paper, some washi tape, some ink, some words . . .
Suddenly, it made sense.
The flowers turn toward the light.
They don't worry about the shadow side.
Perhaps my own mind could try this same thing with my problem, turn toward the light.
Yes, the difficulty is still there, but the higher choice in my mind is to choose the brighter outlook.
Seems like such a small thing to realize, yet it took my picking up my journal, doing some collage, some ink and glue and just messing around with something that delighted me to remind myself to turn toward the light.
This is why I journal.
"Turn your face to the sun and the shadows fall behind you."
--Maori Proverb
