I woke this morning with a poem in my mind.
The words were waiting. Jumbled and swirling, I started to arrange them into something that might make sense. It took most of today to create something that felt right and embodied what I feel today, Valentine’s Day, and every day should be.
Always.
I was inspired to draw this a few days ago because of an annual mental health campaign. However, I didn’t post it on the day because as I was drawing it, the thought struck me that we need to be mindful of mental health issues – our own and others around us, including the people we care about – every day all year round.
These are some commonly found versions of this quote:
These quotes are attributed to different people. However, the meaning is clear: we never know what another person might be going through in life. Instead of rushing to judgment or piling on to what may already be difficult circumstances, can’t we be kind to others and ourselves?
I’ve grown to love drawing lines.
I’ve written many times about how relaxing it is and how it can take on a meditative quality because it requires very little thought; but also one’s focus is completely drawn to drawing lines.
When I’m feeling stressed or overwhelmed by pain, grabbing a pen and my art journal/sketchbook and just drawing lines is one of the things I do to calm my thoughts.
If you’re looking for something simple to help you cope with stress, go grab a pen (or pencil) and a piece of paper and focus on nothing but drawing lines for a few minutes. You might even surprise yourself and create some interesting patterns.
I hope this is helpful for even one person.
My Small Surrenders 