What to do with all that time?

Yeah! I know, what time? Most of us are swamped with constant demands on our time, we need to fix other's problems, provide for their needs, then there is the daily stuff like housework and upkeep that can eat away at your time and your precious energy. Add on top of that your need to respond to society's call for perfection in everything and you can certainly say "WHAT TIME?"
So I think the solution rests in our choices. We choose who we respond to, how we do things, and what is important and what can wait for another day. We may not always make the right choice but it is still ours to make. All this ruminations come from the book I've started reading called, " The Curse of the Good Girl" by Rachel Simmons. In the book, she lays out a scenario that explains how girls really act in their daily lives and more importantly, the guiding force of their actions. This society we live in, is sending a message to girls that they must be perfect in being a good girl. The message is laid out for them in advertising, television and social norms everywhere. A good girl is pretty, demure, kind, helpful, self-effacing and all that good stuff. The problem happens when this perfection which is impossible to achieve is demanded nevertheless. Apparently girls have found a way to be the good girl by hiding their faults, their feelings and their true selves.
Now, I am no longer a 'girl' but I identify with a lot of the examples Ms. Simmons offers to make her point. I remember acting the same way or watching my friends perform the same scenarios she describes in the book. To make a long story short, I have discovered that I, Me, This Person, am not a Good Girl. I remember being ostracized in school because I wouldn't play the game. At the time it was horrible to be left out but now I'm beginning to think they did me a favor.
Now, what does all this have to do with time? Well, I pose the question. How much more time would you have if you didn't strive for someone else's version of the perfect you? How much time do you spend pleasing someone else's account of who you should be? How much time do you spend working on the best version of yourself according to your own rules of perfection? And who said we had to or could be perfect? I think the best version of you according to you is all anyone should strive for.
So, today, I will strive to only listen to my own inner chatter and to silence that as well. That is alot of noise, after all. And in the silence I will find myself. Hope I like what I find!

Never enough time!

I had lunch with a dear friend the other day and she asked me what I'd been thinking about lately. Well, I was a little embarassed by the question because I don't think that what occupies my mind is the run of the mill stuff. Yes, I think of my daily tasks of cleaning, cooking and sleeping but the rest of the time is spent thinking about how I can add more polymer clay time in my life. Everything I seem to see, I ask myself the same question, how can I cover that or add to it or reproduce with polymer clay. It's rather an obsession, I have to admit.
Now, I practise yoga in order to slow down my brain and retain the present moment longer in my mind instead of thinking of all the other things that I will do later or the things I have done yesterday, in theory anyway. While I'm practising the down dog, cat, cow and dreaming of being a crane, I think of nothing but what my body is doing or more like feeling the muscles' strength to getting me there and out again. It's great! Now, comes savasanah, my favorite by the way, and I relax and empty the stress from my body. I can feel it drain from me. then the thoughts of polymer clay come in, how I'll finish this piece, a solution to an earlier problem with this other piece or a image of a piece will pop into my mind's eye and I can't wait to go home and try it.
I don't think I'm supposed to do that but hey I don't try to do it, it happens on its own and I usually get pretty good ideas so I'm not complaining. I wonder if anyone else has this happen to them?!

The photo is of a custom order for yantra stones with the chakra symbols. They feel very nice to fondle.

Ooh! It's been 2 weeks!

My time flies when you're having fun. Yeah! ok, well some times it's fun and other times not so much. I've finally cleaned my work areas up, somewhat! I can see surfaces and floors, that is a great start. I have been working a little, still not enough for all I want to get done.
That is the thing about me, my imagination comes up with projects and ideas at a rate much faster then my time constraints can keep up. Not a problem you say, well when I finally have time, my aging brain has forgotten what the brilliant idea was! I know I should write them down and believe it that is also one of my great ideas, to figure out a system to help me record these ideas so they don't get lost in the outerspace of my monkey brain. No small task as anyone who can follow a thought for more than 5 minutes knows.
Anyway, I'm still here and I have been working, so here is a photo of my Spring goddess and then a link to go vote for her, (tongue in cheek, you can vote for whoever you want). As a member of the PCAGOE, we get to make pieces and then enter them into a challenge every month. Earlier this year I promised I'd have an entry in every month, so bear with me and please be kind.
http://polymerclayartists.blogspot.com/