Not even halfway through and 2011 is proving to be the worst year of my life. In March, after a long month of struggle, my dad died of kidney failure. He was only a couple weeks shy of his sixty-third birthday and thirty-fourth wedding anniversary.
I miss him so much. Things were never quite as scary when Dad was around because he was knowledgable and capable in so many ways; he had endless stores of confidence and optimism; he wasn’t afraid to take chances and he could always see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Above all else, my dad was a teacher and he made every experience a lesson. Every experience. Even the bad ones. So, as Dad would ask, what have I learned over the last few months?
Well, I’ve learned that time goes by really fast and we never get enough of it to be satisfied. We have to use it wisely. And I’ve realized that I haven’t been using mine wisely at all. I’m lazy and unfocused and floundering. I have so many dreams but I’m not on the right path to reaching them. I need to take control of my life and fix what’s not working.
I’m starting this blog as both a record and a source of motivation on my journey to becoming a full-time, professional artist and crafter. It’s not the most practical career choice and there’s no guarantee of success but I want to spend the rest of my life doing something I love and growing in the process. And I don’t want to waste any more time waiting for the right opportunity to show up– I need to create my own.
My top priority is to turn the remainder of this year into something positive and worth remembering. Let’s see where it goes from here!
~Dalliann