And so here we are at Danica doing the obligatory art journal page. Sometimes, when you're doing a daily whatever, there comes that moment when your heart wants to be there, but it isn't, but you know you have to do it anyway. That's where I'm at today. I've got a sick kiddo and I'm trying to keep the rest of us healthy. So my mind is not at all on keeping up with my art journal challenge.Today's art journal challenge is something you've never taken the time to be thankful for.
I struggled with this topic, because right now, I'm thankful for a lot of things, but they're things I've been thankful for before. Like my sweet daughter upstairs in her bed, fighting whatever ick is plaguing her. I'm thankful that even though it's miserable watching her suffer, I know she'll be okay. I'm thankful that the rest of my family is healthy. I'm thankful for my homemade chicken noodle soup. I'm thankful for tea.
I'm thankful for our warm, comfortable home. Believe it or not, that was a big one for me this afternoon as I left church and said hello to the homeless people already waiting outside for the meal we serve after our second service. I couldn't help but think how wonderfully lucky I am that I have a warm home to go to. I wondered what it was like for the homeless when they got sick. I imagined how hard it must be to have to worry about finding a warm, safe place to stay on top of fighting a bad cold. I am so thankful that my life is different.
And so here I am, struggling to figure out what to be thankful for that I haven't taken the time to be thankful for. Loads, I'm sure, and sometimes that's the challenge of these challenges. The things that come to mind aren't always what you're supposed to be thinking about. And that's okay.
I finally did come up with something in the spirit of the challenge, and yes, I know that I'm a day late. But hey, it's something. I think sometimes the most important lesson of these challenges is that you have to be willing to give yourself grace. It's also a fine example of a hurried drawing, and given my state of mind, I think that's okay too.
One of the greatest joys in giving myself permission to put up imperfect and rushed work is that it loosens the hold of the perfectionism that often grips me.
It's important to me to share my progress as I work through the temptation toward perfectionism. Sometimes I think these roadblocks and days like today are there to remind me just how human I am, and how lucky I am to be where I am. More importantly, it points to something my pastor said today (paraphrased by me) about us being completely unable to have a relationship with God without Christ. Sometimes I think my perfectionism is a mask to cover up my fear of not being enough. The truth is, I'm not enough. And I don't have to be.
So there it is. My inability to draw, and I'm sharing it with you because I want to encourage those of you who buy into the talk that you're not good enough. None of us are good enough, and that's okay. And even though today's art journal, in the sense of the challenge, might look like a failure, I'm thinking that it got me thinking about some pretty good stuff, and that's a win in my book.
Today's entry reads:
"I am so thankful for the little space heater in my office. I love how it makes me toasty warm which makes me super happy. I love to be warm and it makes my office so cozy. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
What can you be thankful for that you haven't been thankful for before?
I'd love for you to share your art journal masterpieces. You can either post them on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram with the hashtag #DecemberThanksgiving, or feel free to email me if you want to keep it private.
And, if you'd like to receive a PDF with all the challenges for this month, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter!
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