Minutes (many of them) of introspection

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Pondering why I write, sew, or do anything really.

Lol. That could easily be the blurb for this blog! Or life, if life manages to free up a few moments for said introspection. I had some last night after the latest trio of hexagon blocks were attached to Alexandria; I stared at one from the previous round, made with yellow fabric from a fat eighth surrounding some beautiful Kaffe Fassett jewels, with a navy hexie nestled inside them. To the right are upside down Anna Maria hearts in blue, also a big LOVE! I studied this block for a good ten minutes as yawns rang the bell for bedtime. Posted a snippet on Bluesky about it, then promptly went to bed!

Whether writing or releasing a novel or working on a MAMMOTH English paper-piecing project (EPPP), taking a few minutes to question/admire said project seems to happen less frequently than previously. Not sure if it's because lately I've been up to my armpits in STUFF GOING ON, or if aging seems to allow less time to ponder, which might sound strange, but maybe because I'm getting older, with so much I wish to accomplish, I charge straight ahead, not wanting time to slip past. After returning from Thanksgiving, I dived into my tasks, but one has fallen from priority, that of decorating for Christmas. Which I'm not wholly comfortable with in the how important this season is to me, which is then alleviated by if it's such a valuable season, do trinkets adorning surface space negate from its inner message? Okay, so that provides some relief, as do the various table linens I put out before we left, lol, as well as lights on the front fence that have been up since early November, initially for my husband's birthday party, but also meant to last through the first half of January to brighten the winter solstice. I think I'm *FINE* with not putting out Christmas stuff, as doing that has been ticked off my To Do list with very little hesitation. I have my Martin Luther Christmas book on the coffee table, but no Advent candles because since the earthquake two years ago I have given up candles. And anyway, the real meaning of Christmas has little to do with how many items land on surfaces or dangle from appropriate spots. But it does make me wonder if I'm truly getting older and not wanting to deal with that stuff (this year).

Okay, maybe this is more about aging than considering why I invest time in my beloved hobbies. That's *FINE* too, because, ahem, pondering getting older is probably something I need to consider, haha. Or at least acknowledge. And by acknowledge I mean more than noting my joints ache or it takes longer to get around to things, or wondering when I'll write the next installment of The Enran Chronicles, eyes rolling hard. I've had a small triumph handed to me on a shiny silver platter recently, in the form of a novel I wrote a dozen years ago (then promptly filed away) brought to my attention, and yes, I am considering a release for it next month. It's a standalone (thank you Jesus!) about a duplicitous politician, astronauts, and lots of ensuing drama, HAH! To my GREAT SURPRISE, despite being written even before I started The Hawk, it's in very good shape. I literately wrote it, then saved it, then pretty much forgot it in the publishing grand scheme, but then The Hawk took over as did familial hoo haa, so.... And as I recently noted here, I think it was on this blog (LOL, yes I am getting older!), some books aren't for when they were written. Some are for NOW. Like quilts, Alexandria begun two years ago. Sometimes we start things, forgetting about them or merely setting them aside, then it's time to retrieve those pieces of the past. 

Sometimes life is like that.

Anyway.... Introspection, yeah. This is the kind of post I get when I turn introspective. Heaped with many kitchen sinks, because shinies beckon to my soul and I become powerless (occasionally) by their sparkly beauty. But now it's time to do some stretches for my back, hip, and knee. Yup, more signs of aging. Also grains of wisdom, scattered amid the exercises. Lots of exercises, leading up to one heck of a marvelous day.

UPDATE: A 7.0 earthquake occurred about ninety minutes ago, my phone notified me right before I could feel it. Fortunately no damage here, whew! But I am up to my TEETH in December quakes....

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