Silence in between

I have been quiet again.

I had my HUGE annual art opening and this year I kept telling The Barren that something felt different. He told me that I was anxious each year, and that I was simply feeling that.

It turns out, that my work has yet to sell.

For the last 6years it has sold either before the show opened, or at opening night.

This year it is still hanging on the wall, unsold.

This pretty much CRUSHED my fragile and small sense of self.

I have carried this in my heart like a heavy stone.

I focused on the holidays, but after throwing up Hanukkah...

 I got a cold...it was a new years eve gift I guess...

It had me out of both society and yoga and 

The Barren told me I was acting like a grumpy 14 year old.

I will own that.

I don't like being sick...I don't like my freedom of motion infringed on

in any level; 

whether it is a runny nose or a sore muscle or a cough that won't let me sleep, 

or a car that is out for the afternoon getting an oil change....

I am bossy and grumpy that way.

It seems the cold has finally hit the road and I am getting back into my groove.

While on "holiday" I tried to work on my relationship with food.

I have one, going vegan has made me look at food differently,

not that I had an issue before but now there is a lot of guilt 

associated with food that was not there before.

Over the holiday, I worked on loosing the grip on my restrictions.

I had crackers

I had "ice cream"

I had cake

I ate bread

I ate chips

Now looking at this list I think, oh gosh look at all that bad food.

The food isn't bad, my relationship with it is.

I repeated a mantra I use when I am faced with being "decadent" 

and thinking about how long it will take to make up for the decision.

exercise is not punishment for what I ate, it is a celebration of what my body can do.

I used kinder words with my self talk and simply said, you need a break.

You are doing nothing wrong eating something different here and there.

Now all the "holiday" food is out of the house 

and I am eating dates to combat my sweet tooth

 and drinking green tea to kick the caffeine to the curb.

Things are clearing in my head, I also realize that:

I am still reeling from this election and each day, the USA seems darker and scarier.

I am trying to manage this too...

I am not watching news anymore, listening to NPR for a short time daily.

I only watch movies

FLEABAG on Netflix was fun...and dark

I am sitting in the studio a lot, staring at the wall...but I am showing up.

I am an artist, my job is to make art.

I am back at my 3-4 times a week of practice...

which is really my mental health appointment with myself.

I am excited about the Women's March in 8 days...

The Barren and I are going because we need to go!

I am trying to figure out what I want our signs to say.

Mostly I am trying to find how I fit into this new crazed place.

It may appear that I am sitting in silence, but I am really planning and plotting.

I have never been one to be quiet in the face of something that is bothering me.

It has caused problems before, but now...

My parents joked that they will put some money aside to "bail me out of jail"

I have no intention of getting myself arrested

but my voice will not be silent.