If nothing changes, nothing changes

So there I was, running aground a while, sort of paralyzed about what to do or be next, and someone told me this:

Is this brilliant or what? This is the keystone of my life. A relationship once ended because I said life was a river and he said his life was a lake. But when a river spreads out too much and makes too many braids, you can run aground. And then you sit, which is worse than being a lake. Being a lake requires contentment. This is being a swamp or a bog. So I re-committed myself to moving forward.

Moving forward takes several forms. Sometimes, it’s just “Stop reading the cereal box! Get dressed!” Other times, it’s find something new, make a plan, sign up, schedule it. Make the phone call. Or just put one foot in front of the other.

They say you can hold onto your cognitive abilities by doing something mentally hard. Not crossword puzzles, something that’s frustrating. Like learning a second language.

Look at that graphic I just made. I figured out how to copy it, overlay it, give it all those textures. I don’t have fancy software, just my paints and a scanner. How did I get those versions to overlap without cutting each other off? How did I move them around and layer them? Finally, I got my art to look like what my mind’s eye imagined it to be!

This is today’s little victory.