It’s been a good day.

This morning I woke up knowing it was going to be a good day.

I’m not really sure why either, considering this isn’t a normal feeling I have on my way to work, on a Tuesday no less. Usually, I’m ready to draw blood. Of course, the obvious factors are generally in rare form, and when the week has just started, that’s not exactly a good thing.

But today, I chose to be in a good mood, and that mentality continued for the entire day I was at work. That’s a rare and fantastic occurrence, might I add. I think there were a lot of factors that played into my good mood, but mostly, it was that I chose not to allow those little things that I usually allow upset me to bother me today. The guy clearing his throat, the questions that never stop coming, or the coworker who complains about everything she can think of. None of those things got to me.

Then, part way through my day, I found myself with ample time to spare, which gave me the chance to work on the next edition of my company’s newsletter. And I never have time to do that. After the events of last week, and my many unsuccessful attempts at finding a job that will suit my talents and interests, I realized I may be sticking around this company a little while longer than I had originally hoped. So, at the very least, I have an opportunity to use my creativity and talents in a capacity that is appreciated and useful to my current employer.

I guess if I’m not getting paid for what I love to do just yet, this is the next best thing.

I knew it was going to be a good day.

One Down, One To Go

Well, after several days of expending my blood, sweat, and tears for my daughter’s poodle skirt, it’s finally done.

There is a great sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing a project. Especially one you yourself questioned before taking on to begin with.

But that was the easy one. And for that reason, I am happy I started with her costume.

Abbey’s costume is bound to be more difficult, but now that I’ve nailed the sewing part down, I will have more time to dedicate to the creativity portion. Abbey decided she wanted to dress up as Sally Stitches from The Nightmare Before Christmas. A costume with no actual pattern, I opted to purchase a a tween dress pattern and modify it to match the images I found online.

So tonight, I started by cutting out the basic front sections according to the pattern directions. But rather than cutting a single piece, I cut several partial pieces that I will begin sewing together either tomorrow or Friday.  Though I’m uncertain whether or not this will be as easy as I hope it will be, I’m up for the challenge.

But at the moment, I’m barely up.

Time for bed.

Looking for inspiration when you’re feeling uninspired

Inspiration is a tricky concept. 

There are some days when I have more ideas than I have time to write. Then, there are days like today; I have more time to write than I know what to do with. Instead of using the time to my advantage, my brain decides it’s time to take a night off. Heck, I even attempted to write about one of the topics I’d stored for a rainy day, but, for some reason, I had no inclination to write about any of those topics.

I think part of the problem is that today was relatively uneventful. Not that I’m complaining, but it seems that on the days where nothing significantly exciting occurs, the creativity flows a little slower than it does the rest of the time. 

Take last night for example. I probably could have written an entire post in mere minutes on what happens when my intense claustrophobia takes a turn for the worst. My sister and I attended an outdoor concert for John Michael Montgomery. Country fans since the mid-90’s, Montgomery was one of our favorites and one whom we consider to be a classic in terms of good country music. He is now, for all intents and purposes, no longer a big name in country music, though no one who knows of him will argue with his talent or ability to draw a considerable crowd. Held at a bar in the outskirts of town, the concert attracted many fans. Unfortunately, I do believe it also attracted a decent number of drunken heathens who thought it was a good idea to get a little crazy.

Well, for reasons I cannot explain, my (also claustrophobic) sister and I decided to make our way into, what I like to call, The Country Pit of Despair. Big mistake. Though not quite as intense as the mosh pit at a rock concert, it’s really not much different. Either way it involves a whole lot of people who are pushing and shoving just to make their way up to a fence that is still several feet away from the stage. Morons. Then to top it off, most of these people were very much intoxicated and developed a strange sense of entitlement, which contributed to the shoving. Needless to say, my sister and I decided that rather than get into a physical altercation with a bunch drunken jerks, it was safer to retreat and watch the remainder of the show from the safety of the grassy area behind the crazy country pit. This also gave us the advantage of being closer to the exit when it was time to leave.

Then you have today, which couldn’t have been more different from my experience last night. In no way bad, the events of my day just weren’t nearly as exciting. And for some reason, that makes writing just a little more difficult. Truthfully, I’m just afraid of boring anyone who might decide to take a gander at my post for today if what I write about isn’t interesting.

All in all though, today was one of those days I enjoy the most. The morning and afternoon consisted of family time, pizza, and soccer. So far this evening, I’ve dropped my children off at their respective locations (one is babysitting, the other is sleeping at a friend’s), watched a movie, and done a little writing while my boyfriend, tired from duck hunting this morning, took a catnap in the chair. I think what I enjoyed most was not necessarily the events, but the sheer monotony of the routine. Though it is easy to place a negative connotation to that word, there is nothing negative about its use in this sentence. I’m simply referring to the calm predictability my life has taken on lately. 

There was a time in my life when everything seemed chaotic. I never knew where I was going, let alone where I was coming from, and it never felt like my life would assume any peaceful or serene qualities. But it has. And although it makes writing a bit more difficult, as I continue to find out, it is never impossible.