Hey there friend,

I hope your weekend is off to a great start. Per typical, this week was another busy blurr of art and pickleball! Yippee! I'm finally figuring out how to add pickleball back into my life.

I was at an art class earlier this week and I was talking with a friend about how we have so MANY art supplies - it's like such an addiction!

So many pens and pencils and regular pastels and oil pastels and paints and tools and more paints. All kinds of paints...watercolors and acrylics oils and water based oils and gouache's and watercolor pens and temporas and thin paints, and thick paints, and mediums, and glosses etc. It's crazy!

But also in that conversation was the fact that we both tend to "hoard" said supplies. They just feel so precious! Some of them are actually quite inexpensive, but some are also very expensive.

And for some reason, we get into the "don't want to use too much" mindset and just use our supplies very "sparingly" as you will. Trying to stretch and scrimp them as much as we can.

We laughed at ourselves over this tendency, and vowed to try and be more extravagant as we use our wonderful supplies.

Later, I got to thinking. Am I sometimes like that with my personal gifts and talents? Do I use them only "sparingly"? Like I'm saving them up for some time in the future?

At this point in my life, age 62, I know that there's more behind than ahead. Which brings the question - what am I waiting for?

--Waiting for the perfect opportunity?

--Waiting for the perfect timing?

--Waiting to not be afraid?

--Waiting to be asked?

So, if I may, what gifts and talents are you hoarding? And why? What are you waiting for?

Maybe it's time for all of us to take stock and get extravagant with the way we use what we've got.

I think it will bring a lot of joy, blessing ourselves and others.

Love you, xoxoxoxo

Christy :)

P.S. Here are some pieces I did this week. Enjoy! I just keep telling myself, "It's wonderful to be a beginner!" :)