Sometimes it takes a gentle push…and a willingness to be pushed. I needed that push. And I was finally ready to kick it into gear. Thank you…you know who you are.
How do we let personal priorities slide into second or third place over and over again? Why do we put ourselves last? What causes one to give over time to something or someone else’s priorities and neglect our own?
Yes, there was a time when my needs were secondary. When mom needed me to prioritize her. After dad died so suddenly and she needed to get out of the big house that had become so lonely without the love of her life, I needed to do something. Fortunately, we were able to make a new home for her here. And so I designed an apartment that gave her a place to come and be loved and eventually, after her stroke, be cared for.
But since then, I’ve been giving my time to other pursuits that didn’t need my full constant attention. Whether it was decorating projects for clients or marketing projects for worthy causes or volunteering for my alma mater, Trinity, none was all consuming. But somehow taken together, they were a critical mass of involvement that consumed me.
Why was I finding it so hard to get centered on my personal passion project - Living a Colorful Life?
I guess what it really comes down to is that I’ve been viewing this project as expendable and this personal endeavor as a luxury. I kept telling myself that I was too busy living a colorful life to actually pause and write about it. But I was missing the point. It was more than just writing that was getting put aside. It was the reflection and the realignment that comes with looking around and taking in the beauty of living. The writing is not a luxury. It is a necessary exercise that helps distill the deeper thoughts. It’s one thing to “see” and another to gain “insight” from that activity. It is in documenting what you see that you give it meaning for yourself.
It took a push…a recent reconnection with a dear friend to open my eyes to the value of focusing anew on this personal passion project. She helped me see that when we are living our best life…being our best self…we are manifesting a new spirit that may help others find beauty in new places. And that makes it all the more worthwhile.
So now, with a new sense of purpose, I’m committing myself to taking time each day to tune in and savor this colorful life of mine. I will be pausing to “see” and reflect on the view. What inspiration will flow from looking and listening with my eyes, who knows. But I am thankful for the push. And I hope my commitment will serve as a catalyst for others.
It is said that our soul becomes dyed with the colors of our thoughts. Maybe that is why I am an optimist.
I want to focus on a more thoughtful approach to living that colorful life. I want to look at the color around me and celebrate it. Whether it’s a crimson cardinal that lands on the pink cherry tree outside my window and reminds me of a loved one…or the exuberant, floral fabric that I commissioned my daughter to design for my sitting room…or the brilliantly-colored Susan Branch calendar the makes me smile every time I check a date…these are things that add joy.
And on a deeper level, I’m thinking of my Aunt Sally’s beautiful blue eyes that shimmered as she shared memories of my mom. Or the blue bonnets that graced a recent walk in the Lady Bird Wildflower Garden with Diana Rose. Or colorful notes of Mozart’s Requiem as performed by Chorus Austin and the Austin Symphony Orchestra this past weekend. These are each precious moments worth savoring.
Stay tuned for more colorful thoughts to follow tomorrow…