Words of Wisdom

In a previous life, around fifteen years ago or so, I worked at a combination quilt/gift shop.  The pay was horrid but we got great discounts on merchandise (fabric!).  So I acquired a wooden frame for Lang calendars--you buy a new calendar every year to put in the frame.  Lang calendars are available in lots of places--even Costco these days.  I usually get something like "Songirds", "Country Seasons", or "Flowers."

This year, when I went to scout out a calendar for the frame I wasn't very impressed with the selection at Barnes and Noble or CraftWarehouse.  So I wandered off to the temporary game/calendar shop in the mall to check out their selection.  And there it was--a new calendar by Mary Englebreit who happens to be one of my all-time favorite artists.  I'm familiar with most of her art so was pleasantly surprised to see some of her work that was new to me.  The theme of the calendar is "Step by Step" with each month having a great illustration and interesting message.

January - Girl in room looking at a close door.  "Doors are everywhere.  Open them."
February - Girl gazing up at Cupid while her dog is looking the other direction.
                 "Follow your heart but take your brain with you."
March - A young traveler at a crossroads.  "Choose Happiness."
April - A women sitting in a garden.  "The birds they sing at break of day.  Start again!!
                                                               I hear them say."
May - A women standing by a wall with a road in the distance.  "The question isn't who is
                                                          going to let me.  It's who is going to stop me."
June - A gnome building a castle on a tree stump.  "You are never too old to set another goal or
                               dream another dream."  Attributed to C.S. Lewis
July - Two trapeze artists swinging toward each other.  "Only Connect"
August - A young girl standing in front of a blank canvas.  "Begin Anywhere."
September - A variety of people holding lanterns.  "Let us all light one anothers' way."
October - People running from three monsters sitting around a table.  "Too many people go
                              through life running from something that isn't after them."
November - A driver in a yellow toy convertible driving on the sidewalk.  "Go Man!"
December - A young woman reading a book titled "LIFE."
                        "Instructions:  1.  Put one foot in front of the other.  2.  Repeat."

What an interesting assortment of messages.  And especially apropos as I'm wrestling with a decision on whether to do something or not.  It's been in the back of my mind for a couple of years now and I had just once again put the topic on the back burner so to speak.  Less than a month after "back burning" the topic it was raised totally unexpectedly during a meeting I was attending at church.   So.....
the door may be opening...  now what?

I'm thinking of an interesting article on advice that I read several years ago.  The author was disappointed when she asked her art teacher if she should major in art at college.  She was hoping for an encouraging answer (I'm sure!).  The answer she got was, "The years will go by no matter what you do."  True--but she felt cheated by the answer until she realized that it was up to her to decide if she would regret one decision over another after a few years had passed.

I'm not sure exactly where I'm trying to go with this.  But no matter what,

life goes on....