today was a 'furlough' day in our school district- i guess a means of cutting some hours and saving money. i was actually quite happy- since it meant that we could all stay up late and sleep in this morning. i am just a sleeper-inner.
this weekend i had the pleasure of attending- if only for a few hours- the amazing Spark No.2 -created by my sweet partner Rhonna Farrer and her two "spark sisters" Liz Kartchner and Margie Romney-Aslett. Janet was one of the main teachers, along with Margie, Emily Falconbridge and Wendy Whitacre. So many other amazingly talented girls were on hand sharing their gifts...
for one thing- it as a delight just to 'attend' and have no obligations or commitments... i was just allowed to enjoy and participate! HOW FUN IS THAT? i don't think - i was trying to remember- if i have ever attended anything- similar where i could just ....e n j o y. yep, that was my first. so THANK YOU to Margie, Liz and Rhonna for letting me come and 'spark'... it was truly a magical experience...
definitely the highlight for me was Friday night's Mindy Gledhill concert. I didn't know much of Mindy- except that she would be there, and the girls had been raving about her... i did see this music video that Rhonna had posted.. and i was immediately inspired and LOVING her vibe.. i think you should watch it! she was scheduled for an outdoor concert after all the day's festivities at 10pm- now, wouldn't you know it, we had quite a little cold snap, so it was FREEZING, but we all sat outside and listened to this self-proclaimed 'free spirit' talk about following your dreams and fostering your creative spirit... she shared some of the stories behind her songs, and some of the things that inspired the lyrics etc. i loved to hear her story and her perspective. of course, i bought her new CD 'Anchor' and haven't stopped listening to it since...
it has given me so much to think about... it was just what my little worn-out creative spirit needed to hear!
During her presentation... she asked us to think of 2 groups of people in our lives... those who have been our greatest supporters as well as those who have been our greatest adversaries. my mind filled very easily with all those people in my life who have believed in me- often much more than i ever believed in myself- and pushed and encouraged me...and i started thinking back- wondering who had discouraged me- or told me that i couldn't do something... and you know what is kinda freaky- the only person that i could think of was myself. i realized that i am pretty grouchy with myself- a lot! i am my own worst-critic (aren't we all) and i think that i cause much of my own grief! it was like a HUGE lightbulb moment- not like the turn on the light- and clear up the problem kind of lightbulb moment- but the kind that turns on the light on stuff you might rather not see. my personal favorite coping mechanism is 'denial'. i love it.
anyway... to mindy- wherever you are.. thanks... my emotions are so close to the surface as i am contemplating where i am, where i want to be... and considering how i can be more kind and nurturing to myself- i wonder what would happen if i were my own greatest cheerleader. i wonder how things would be different.
