One of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received was from a former employee, an amazingly talented graphic artist and illustrator. I had just rented a storefront off the Pearl Street Mall in Boulder, Colorado and had exactly one month to paint, sand floors, rip up carpet, make signage and the list went on and on. As we worked, she would laugh and tell me it will never happen on time. As the public piled in that night and the band played, she said, “You know, when you decide to do something, you just do it, regardless if you’re ready or not”. She told me how on the other hand perfectionism got in her way to see something through. I think lately...
For years, every Christmas I would drag my kids, now adults, to see the play, A Christmas Carol. I just love the story…I would marvel at the three different ghosts that would come to the past present and the future. I think there is something in all of us that treasures a redemption story. Especially, when it’s our own. We are all curators of our past, unfolding our own origin stories. The ghost of my old ideals hit me this past Memorial Day weekend where I found myself invited to a barbeque and music in an old mining town I had been visiting for years. I even had my wedding reception there over twenty years ago, although the marriage was short lived, the building...
A few weeks ago, I was running late for my flight. The whole morning seemed “off”. Usually, waking up so rudely to a 3am alarm for a flight can do that! At security, I studied the lines to see which was going faster. A nice family noticed my urgency and let me in front of them. I ran down the concourse as I just made the flight with the jetway door shutting behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief as I waited at the front of the plane to take my seat. In my frazzled stupor, something caught my attention. The flight attendant called to the jetway saying, “Doors have been closed. There are 237 souls on board.” Now, I know this is common protocol for a...
I just turned a big number. It ends in a “0”….that’s right, 30! Hah! In my mind! No, really, try doubling that! It’s strange turning this age…some of you are there, some of you beyond, so you probably feel this sense of urgency too. Suddenly, you see two thirds of your life in the rear view and only one third ahead---IF you’re lucky. I began thinking about this and then found myself going down the rabbit hole of the internet. I found that in the United States, women live to be an average of 81 and men an average age of 76. Truth, google it! So, then I multiplied approximately how many years I have left and again multiplied it by 365 days in a year, and discovered...
Why is it that the most important lessons seem to come from the hardest times? Why can’t we just know what to do without the hard lessons? Years ago, I went through what seemed like every aspect of my life falling apart at once. My life read like a bad country western song…Betrayal, heartache, lack of motivation and the list went on. Although I worked hard at it all through therapy I still felt stuck in my own suffering. I had all but closed up Sweet Bird when it was when I walked into my packed up studio and began making the very first belt buckle. What seemed like a minute, turned into 5 hours and I became amazed and intrigued with this piece of metal...
