Around 1:00 on Sunday, as I was walking back to my car (I almost wrote “back to myself,” which is also true), I whispered, “Thank you, I needed that!” What did I need, you ask? I needed the peace of going to church followed by something that brings me pure joy. Today, that joy was being outside in weather without a heat index over 90 degrees, strolling through dappled sunlight surrounded by subjects dear to me that I could capture in my sketchbook. It's hard to describe how restorative being outside and drawing is for me—drawing is medicine, but creating outdoors is truly healing.
August was an "off" month. My 9-to-5 job was, to put it mildly, a bit much. On top of that, I faced several unexpected and expensive repairs, and I ended up carpooling with my daughter for a week while her car was in the shop. The oppressive heat and humidity didn't help either—as a northern girl at heart, I can handle snow and cold, but this relentless summer weather completely drained my energy and consumed my time. And my week of vacation did not exactly go as planned.
I knew what I needed to feel better, but it seemed so unattainable. Until today when I finally stepped out in faith and made the time to take care of myself. And as I alluded to in the title, I needed “that” to get back to myself.
This is my bi-monthly sketchbook blog post. I hope to inspire you to get out your sketchbook, to doodle, draw, scribble and make marks in it. It truly is “medicine” for those of us who sometimes feel the weight of the world.
