Working With My Hands

One side of me that I am very passionate about is working with my hands.  There is something very zenlike about diving hands-first into a project that gets me dirty – and using different parts of my brain (and body) than I use in my work as a coach.

Home remodeling/organizing projects are what I love most.   You may have heard me talk about gardening and painting  (both artistically and the rooms in my home) but the past couple of weeks I finally learned how to use power tools!

My husband and I reorganized our garage and in doing so, I learned to use a miter saw, table saw and drill press.  All tools I have watched him use for years, but never tried.  I’ve always helped him with projects, but this time I took greater ownership of doing some of the pieces of the project myself – very empowering and fun!  I know have greater confidence in my abilities and can now tackle more projects on my own.

What have you always wanted to try?  Are you ready to dive in?

Never Say Never

You know I am always trying new things…well this time it is running!  I used to say that “running was not for me” or “I can’t run it will hurt my knees (my knees hurt when I walk a lot)”  Well, much to my suprise – running makes my legs feel fanstastic!

How did I get started on this new path?  I started working with a personal trainer at my gym for a few months and early on in our workouts she asked me, as part of one workout, to get on the treadmill and run for 3 minutes.  I said “I don’t run”.  In her typical fashion, she just looked at me and that said it all.  So I got on the treadmill and said I would try it.  I did and found I could!

It snowballed from there, doing a few minutes more each time, alternating with walking for a minute or two.  The other day while at the beach I ran (at a slow pace) for 50 minutes – only walking for a couple of minutes at several intervals.  Then a few days later I ran for 25 minutes straight! These were big accomplishments for me.

Now I actually look forward to running each morning!  This is incredible to me and very exciting.   So…never say never!

Creative inspiration

Last week I attended one of Cheryl McArdle’s creativity classes.  This one was about color.

Now many of you know I’ve been painting on and off for many years, but color, specifically the mixing of it, has always felt more confusing than it actually is.  That is what I learned in Cheryl’s class. 

This class also inspired me to paint.  You see, though it is something I love, I often go for weeks without painting – if I’m busy with other more pressing things, if I’m not sure what to paint, if I don’t have a reason to paint…

By simplifying a process that I thought more complicated than it was, I now am more confident and excited about the possibilites that await me with this new information!

What processes do you beleive are confusing or complicated?  They may be just as simple when you learn the right technique, or just hear the technique shared in a way that finally has the light bulb go off in your head!