Stir-Crazy Sunday

I was having one of those restless days. You know, the kind that sneak up on you - an unexpected day of no commitments, no one asking you to do anything, and there are no deadlines to meet.

My husband's parents have staying with us for the past few days. We were supposed to spend today, their last day, with them. Instead, they left bright and early to beat tomorrow's weather. It was a visit full of fun, and now here I am, with no one to host, and no plan B.

For someone like me, who gets busy busy busy, this can be dangerous. On top of it, I am getting over a bad cold that kept me wrapped in blankets on the couch for most of the day. It's a recipe for a melodramatic type of stir-crazy, and Husband sent me out the door by mid-afternoon. He couldn't take it! Lol, I can't say I blame him.

I headed to a coffee shop, and using my reusable coffee mug, I got myself a soy mocha. I snuggled into a cushy chair and opened up the iPad that was my graduate school gift to myself. I discovered the app "Vision Kit", and I took a couple hours to think about the direction of my life, and what I really wanted to focus on for the future. Honestly, I have been thinking about these things for some time. And, it's been coming together, as I begin to really find my voice, and to live life as I want to live it.

The Vision Kit app is simple. You create a statement, or affirmation, and then decide on a selection of images to surround the statement. You can use photos from your camera roll or the web. Despite my artistic inclinations, and my usual preference for tactile art, this simplicity was just what I needed.





Each image refers to an art form, creative doing, or subject matter that I love. Nothing more to explain, right? I may print this, and hang it above my desk. For inspiration.

I created a second one, that I will share with you tomorrow - it requires more explanation.

For now, I can say the exercise was helpful to overcome my cabin fever. I returned home and created a delicious dinner of tofu-shiitake ramen. I topped it with the kale I bought at the winter farmer's market. Then, I put out all the ingredients for tomorrow's bread baking, and for creating apple pie filling (which I plan to can for future use). I also thought about how I will create restorative downtime, and continue work on my manuscript.

How do you overcome the stir-crazies?