Just Do It

Here’s my Public Service Announcement. Start the hobby. Do the thing. Follow the dream.

If there is something that you always wanted to do, just go out there and do it.

Easy for me to say, right? My kids are, for the most part, grown because the youngest of four is a Senior in college. There is much less drain on our time and our finances with kids out of the house. So, I am in a position to pursue outside interests much easier than before. But, I implore you, no matter what stage of life you are in, not to give up on your dreams. Keep your interests alive.

During the pandemic, my husband Rob finally took the opportunity to buy the kayaks that he had longed for over the years. The shutdowns that sent us looking for outside activities gave us the perfect opportunity to kayak on the beautiful Chattahoochee River, which is a stone’s throw from our house. The river activity opened up a part of him that he had neglected for a while. Returning to his outdoorsy roots. Shoulda bought kayaks years ago.

My mom was an artist who put her canvases away. In her youth she had hoped to pursue a career in art. But, as her family came along, responsibilities piled up and the bills kept coming, so she read the room and realized that becoming a starving artist was not an option. She started teaching elementary school. She fiddled around with her drawings and paintings for a while, but eventually set those things aside. My mom switched to crafting as an expression of her creativity. Creating crafts for family and friends, giving instructional seminars, organizing volunteers for craft fairs and craft bazaars; those things gave her an outlet for her artistic voice and fit well into her life circumstances. That seemed all well and good as far as I could tell.

We lost my mom in 2020. I have spent the last 2 years cleaning out her house. Now, I have a deeper understanding of the sacrifices that she made. I have looked through journals that she kept and read about her regrets that she did not continue working on her art.  She yearned to create art for arts’ sake, but she set that dream aside. The passion was still there, but she never picked up the paintbrush. I cleaned out closets and boxes and shelves full of unused art supplies—things that she bought hoping to rekindle the fire. There are many reasons why she didn’t begin painting again, all of them valid. But, I have felt a profound sadness that she didn’t fulfill her dreams and continue with her love of drawing and painting, doing what she loved so much.

Here are two special pieces that she did: an oil painting of my sister and me, and a block print city scene.

In homage to my mom, I recently decided to start painting. I brought a respectable selection of her art supplies to my house and I signed up for art lessons. I am having a great time learning to draw and paint. I’m a little sporadic about practicing and painting, but I’m learning along the way. It’s not exactly easy, and I’ve produced more than a few flops. But, I have also produced several paintings that I really like. So, I am excited about this new hobby that I have taken on. It is something that I have always thought that I might like to do. So, I forced myself to get on with it and start.

In the 80’s, when Rob’s mom was trying to decide about the next direction for her life, she was contemplating returning to the university to study for a doctoral degree. She wanted to challenge herself and complete the degree. But, she hesitated, not knowing if she was up for it. I might have a few of the details wrong here, but I have the gist of the conversation right. She was talking with her soon-to-be-husband and lamented that she didn’t know if she could get her PHD, because it would take 3 years of study, and in 3 years she would be 60 years old. He replied that in 3 years she would be 60 years old, no matter what. So, it was up to her to decide if she wanted to be 60 years old with a PHD or 60 years old without one.  She applied immediately and worked her tail off to complete her degree. She went on to become a college professor. For the rest of her life, she was incredibly proud of her academic accomplishment.

Here are some pictures from my art corner, curtesy of my mom, and explored by Franklin.

So I ask you, what is it that you hope to do? Where does your passion lie? Is there something that you have been putting off? Is there something that tugs at your heart? Are you waiting for the right time?

If Not Now, When?

Carpe Diem.

Here is my favorite movie quote. It comes from Shawshank Redemption (an excellent movie, if you need a movie recommendation.) Both Tim Robbin’s character Andy Dufresne and Morgan Freeman’s character Red deliver this line at pivotal points in the movie.

“Get Busy Living or Get Busy Dying.”

from Stephen King's "Shawshank Redemption"

That’s right, Just Do It. Make the time. Realize the dream. Find the inspiration. You are the only one who can. I hope you will.

More inspirational quotes:

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.”

C.S. Lewis

"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.”

John Barrymore

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

Mark Twain