Have You Made Any 2020 Resolutions?

Nope, no I haven't. At least I haven't written anything down, made any lists, or even seriously had any specific thoughts about it. They say it is much harder to achieve your goals if you don't have a plan to guide you. During my nursing career, making Care Plans was a big deal...we would identify the problem/symptom and then come up with the intervention and create short term and long term goals so that we could assess whether or not our intervention had been successful. Truthfully, they were a pain to do! I was a much more intuitive kind of caregiver than a rigidly organized one aaaaand that is probably still my style with just about everything. I like following my 

instincts and watch things unfold on their own. But I know there is much value in having intentional goals to aim for!

This is going to be one crazy year for me: 2020 is "Wedding Year" and the planning is already in full swing. Our daughter is getting married to a wonderful guy in the fall and we couldn't be happier! So I guess one of my goals is to be a supportive mom and help in any way I can without being annoying. (I wonder how I'm going to assess for that?)

I also have some lofty travel plans, going somewhere almost every month until July, when I will need to stay home and clean everything for all the wonderful wedding guests. I do love the adventure of going places and experiencing new things and one of this year's forays is 
an art-related trip in May to the Plein Air Convention in Denver! It's taking place just a couple miles from our son's apartment so I will get to see him as well, which is awesome. This is the first time attending for me and I've heard it's a dawn to dusk, non-stop painting experience...lots of fantastic speakers, demos, paint-outs, and camaraderie...and I'm both so excited and already exhausted. Here's a goal: blog about it! I probably can do that.

Many serious artists set a goal of painting or drawing every day and, actually, that is my goal, too. I took a workshop this fall with Calvin Liang and came face to face with my sad drawing skills. I kind of skipped that part when I started painting; it was too hard, too time consuming, not fun, and pretty discouraging. So I basically drew with my paintbrush and "carved" out whatever shape I was trying for as I developed the painting. Calvin said something to me that was very convicting and challenging: "you need to learn to draw; you will not be able to progress in your art unless you do" Well, fine! I will suck it up and get to work on that this year, too. Goal-setting will definitely be needed for this intention!

Many good wishes for a productive and rewarding New Year to all of you. Spread kindness this year...we all need it!!  Thanks for reading my blog❤️