navylane :: musings

Someone once told me that time is a predator that stalked us all our lives. But I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey that reminds us to cherish every moment because they’ll never come again.

Captain Jean Luc Picard,Star Trek Generations

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Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all’s right with the world.

Ada Louise Huxtable

Sunny. 80 degrees. Clear, blue skies. A slight breeze. My definition of perfect weather. A day to cherish. I am sitting in my favorite adirondack chair on the back porch, keeping an eye on the girls while they swim, being entertained by the hummingbirds and allowing myself to gradually accept the fact that the end of summer is nearing and, like it or not, back to school time is upon us.

It was a whirlwind of a summer. We didn’t do much — no family vacations, no jam-packed calendar full of events, even our plans to have an annual visit from our close friends fell through — but we kept busy with our favorite pastimes: going to the beach, exploring the woods, hanging out in our own backyard. And time flew by nonetheless. There was a bittersweet goodbye ’see you soon’ to some dear friends. A camping trip. Making our own popsicles. Yoga on the beach. Encouraging our daughters to experience science firsthand — from watching a moth chrysalis to trying to build a bird’s nest. A weekly ‘girls night out’. Getting tipsy on love and wine. My green thumb, ahem, somehow managing to plant tomatoes in the same pots as my flowers — marigolds and tomatoes, nice mix, eh? Building a fire, roasting marshmallows, and making s’mores. And most importantly, making memories.

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A couple weeks ago, as we were walking out of the grocery store, my husband nodded toward a vending machine of scratch and win tickets and said, ‘What do you think? Should we get a ticket?’ An unusual suggestion coming from him, as he’s not much of a gambler, but the reality remained that we just didn’t have an extra five bucks to risk at the time, so we kept on walking.

A few days later, I found out that someone, that very same night, had bought a ticket from that very same machine. They won $100,000.

Needless to say, we were struck with a huge What if…? moment. What if we had bought that ticket… and won? How would it have changed our lives? What would we have done with the money? Would we have been sensible and paid off the house and all our debt, allow ourselves a fresh financial start and a chance to save for the future? Or would we have splurged on new vehicles, a luxurious vacation, new clothes, toys and gadgets? Whatever our choice, would we be happier at this very moment?

And then, this thought provoking question I saw the other day via Christine at swirlygirl: “…life gets grander as you simplify. What are the things you would still have in your life if you earned only half of what you earn now?”

Hmm, speculating the what if…? at the opposite extreme. Christine’s thoughts are right on — “so often we are encouraged to think wildly and grandly” — and while I have on occasion speculated what my life would be like if I had a heftier bank account, I haven’t really given much thought to what my priorities would be if I had to downgrade my life. Definitely a worthy thought to ponder.

Did you ever think you would see the day when a magazine would be solely dedicated to blogging? Well, check this out: the premiere issue of Artful Blogging, a new quarterly publication by Stampington that focuses on creative bloggers and their visually inspiring online journals. Isn’t that a great concept for a magazine? Definitely a sign of the times.

I am delighted to have both this blog featured in this issue, as well as my Inspire Me Thursday site. A true honor to be in such good company; I’ve enjoyed reading about the other creative blogs and community sites, some well known to me, others a delightful new find. Lots of wonderful talent and inspiration in this issue, be sure to check it out!

To celebrate, cute and clever ArtsyMama is hosting an Artful Blogger party, complete with cake and punch and lots of fun party-goers :)

I’m bringing the mango lassis and sharing a few ideas for making your own creative stamps using random everyday objects that will add lots of texture to your artwork. I am still on the lookout for someone to bring an appetizer of extra time! Party on, creative bloggers!

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