Happy Friday friend!

Here we are with another week flown by. Yesterday my husband and I took advantage of being in the desert for Arizona Spring Training - known as The Cactus League, and we went to see the Texas Rangers (baseball) play at a nearby field.

It's so fun to see the pro players up close in a small venue. I know when we go to games in Arlington (near Dallas) the stadium is ginormous and we usually end up with nosebleed seats...far, far from the action down below.

Yesterday, we were up close. It was so neat to get to see their faces in person rather than on the jumbotron!

But the thing that struck me was how little awesome ball we saw. This is the first week of Spring Training, and to be honest, everyone looked a little rusty.

Flubbed easy outs, missed balls, overthrown bases. One of the plays was so messed up it looked more like the three stooges running around than professional baseball players!

And what a good lesson for us.

Even the pros need practice.

And if they need practice, then we mere mortals need practice too.

I've been practicing painting every day this year. Some days it's in my sketch book, and some days it's actual paintings.

I still mess up (of course) and make things that look wonky.

And that's ok. I'm not a pro (yet) and I know that even when I am, I will still be in the mode of playing and practicing a little every day.

What about you? Is there a place in your life where you expect perfection and are disappointed every time you fall short?

Our job isn't to only be satisfied with perfection. Just like the Pro Baseball players, our job is to keep playing and practicing, looking for stronger skills and a better outcome each time.

This line of thinking reminded me of a couple pages I painted in my sketch book way back in January:

These reminders keep me on track.

A couple questions for you:

What do you need to play and practice this week?

What have you stopped doing, or resist doing because you demand perfection over play?

What baby step of play can you do today to move you into a better position?

As I've mentioned already, I've been painting like crazy! I wanted to share some of what I've been doing with you.

Here are some fun sketchbook things...

And some actual large pieces I did in my class last week:

Perfect? No! But I'm sure enjoying the play and practice.

I leave you with last night's sunset. Oh, glorious Arizona!

I hope you have a great week! I'd love to hear what you are playing at and practicing this week.

Love you and cheering you on,

Christy :)