What in the world do I do with my time?

I'm a planner; I work very hard; I take care of myself; I love my friends and family and I remind myself every day to embrace the time I have here.

On the Conception last month at Santa Cruz Island

I read Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People years ago and apply those principles to my time management decades later.  When I plan I like to divide my time into the largest blocks I can.  I do this because I want to get lost in whatever it is I'm doing.  As a painter for example, I'm just getting warmed up after six hours in the studio.  Hours slip by when I'm working on the computer or on a walk.  I want to enjoy as much of my journey as I can.  If I'm traveling too fast I'll never see what's whizzing by my window.

I jot down a list of commitments I have for the next year/month/ week/ day.  I prioritize and plug in commitments and preserve as much open space as I can for the things that feed my life: work, relationships, self-care, etc. I keep a clear idea of my long-term goals and dreams and try to remember that there are many possible pathways to get there.  And while I can't be over-indulgent it's just as bad to live a stingy life.

The water clears my head!  Here I am in one of the world's most beautiful cities.

The blogging world is funny.  I can write things like this down and sometimes people will stop by to read it.  I'll certainly lose some people's attention because I do ramble and I probably sound very ordinary.  Many artists use their blogs exclusively to showcase their art.  I see my blog as something a little different.  While I am primarily a painter I have a deep seated belief in empowering people creatively.  To me, that's more than painting.  It means I live a life that is rich with possibility and if I give glimpses into how I explore my time here in the world maybe I'll give someone else the idea that a creative life is a real possibility.  After all, if this very ordinary woman can live this way anyone can!  It takes guts and resource management (time and money- see my blog A Room of One's Own, January 14, 2011 post).  It also takes having a good support system to take care of things at home if you're not as unencumbered as I am.

San Francisco Chinatown

One of the things I've committed to doing with my life is to travel.  Right now I'm taking baby steps and have stuck to the US and primarily the west coast.  The next time I go to visit my daughter in Seattle I'll take my passport and take the wild ride to Vancouver so Canada will be the first foreign country on my runaway list.

Over the last several years I've taught myself how to "run away from home."  Here's what I do:  

1.  Because I work out regularly I often have a gym bag with an extra set of clothes in the back of my car.  

2.  As a painter I keep some kind of paint and paper or canvas handy.  

3.  I like to keep a full tank of gas in my Prius and 

4.  have a small fund put aside to use as mad money.  

5.  I live in a turn-key apartment. 

6.  I have no animals or small children and low-maintenance plants.
7.  I've explored ways to travel inexpensively ie with groups and using discounts for travel.

The last time I ran away to Santa Barbara I had a weekend available and as I drove up the PCH (CA Hwy 1) and saw the sign to San Francisco I wondered why I wasn't going further afield.  I've had the good fortune to spend the last ten years going up to SB and it's a bit of a second home so it's very comfortable.  I needed to get a little bit uncomfortable and go further.

This past weekend I did.  I also realized that I have become a little bit of an adventurer.  I've always thought of myself as quite tame and I am, but I do like to try new things!  The last two months I've obviously had a good time.  I've been cooped up in the studio so much I was running out of material and needed to get some fresh inspiration/ material to paint.

Here's a photo of a vineyard where I painted on the way home Sunday.  I'll have to go back up to Santa Inez or another place a little closer to home for a day trip this month.  I need some time with the fields in the golden month of October...I'll keep you posted. 

Stillwaters Vineyard, Paso Robles, CA  I spent the day painting here on Sunday to research some areas for a large commission I'm painting.  I have sketches and color notes but am a looong way from being finished.

When the late Nadine Stair of Louisville, Kentucky, was 85 years old, she was asked what she would do if she had her life to live over again.

"I'd make more mistakes next time," she said. "I'd relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers. I would eat more ice cream and less beans. I would perhaps have more actual troubles, but I'd have fewer imaginary ones.

"You see, I'm one of those people who live sensibly and sanely hour after hour, day after day. Oh, I've had my moments, and if I had to do it over again, I'd have more of them. In fact, I'd try to have nothing else. Just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead of each day. I've been one of those persons who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, and a raincoat. If I had to do it over again, I would travel lighter than I have.  I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds and I would pick more daisies."