A Fresh Coat of Paint

A couple of weeks ago my husband decided it was time to freshen up our abode with new paint, trim around the doors and kitchen counter. He did the tiling of the counter and the trimming and I painted. I began to reflect on Spring, new beginnings, fresh starts and do-overs. (Hey, we finally had temperatures over 40* F, can ya blame me?)
The paint I chose wasn't too different from what we already had. I didn't want a total overhaul of everything. However, the living room paint is a bit brighter and the kitchen is a bit pinker. To be honest, though, if I didn't tell you I had painted, you probably wouldn't notice the difference. I was a bit worried at first, but it grew on me pretty quickly when I found a marble tile that coordinated with it so well that I really couldn't complain.
I did feel, however, that my living room would need new curtains. I have a table cloth that's about 10 years old that was my inspiration for the curtains. It's an Indian floral paisley print in yellows, greens and oranges on a white background. (Our new paint is orange - Fire Ant, specifically - and the trim is white) I knew I'd never find the same table cloth and I was thinking of adding even more or different colors, so I figured I'd start where I had found the previous cloth, World Market. I looked though every curtain they had. I found a few I liked but they weren't quite right and I just didn't want to settle for something that didn't speak to me on a very primal level. I wanted color, pattern, boldness, vibrance. I wanted something that would leap out of the dark recesses of winter and hurtle into Spring with abandon!
As I began to shuffle out of the store I passed the bath department and there they were - my perfect curtains! Technically an unlined shower curtain, I found color - every color! Pattern - paisley! Boldness and vibrance in abundance! So I bought two shower curtains and hung them from the bamboo rod over our front window. They were also a good $10 less each than any of the window curtains I kinda sorta liked and I only needed two of them instead of four. Oh, yeah. They were on sale and I had a coupon, too.
You never know where you're going to find just the right thing, do ya? I look at my new curtains and I'm filled with joy. The colors and pattern are better than I could've hoped.
So now I look to myself. I was officially accepted into the East West program at CenterPoint Massage and Shiatsu Therapy school. I have a whole new chapter in my life to look forward to living out. I'm going to sally forth with promise and hope, never being afraid to look for what I seek in places selcouth.

My.. Buh... BABY!

I'm getting ready to finish a project. I'm sort of putting it off. It's a bit like launching your baby to kindergarten. However, it's paid for, so I simply must finish it. I have to start finishing it. There are only two steps left: rounding off the corners and attaching the binding. I'm excited and scared. Will my friend like it? Will it be the first of many such projects? My hands are shaking with anticipation.

Why does completion scare so many? Isn't that what we strive for: finishing the hat? Closing the deal? Getting a degree?

I'm also on tenterhooks because I'm waiting to find out if I've been accepted into the East West Massage Therapy Program at CenterPoint. All of my transcripts are in, I had my interview, I have recommendations in, including one from my therapist who thinks this is quite possibly the best thing I've ever pursued. I'm nervous. Everything seems to be falling into place. Again. I tend not to believe in omens or signs of any kind. The last few times I thought I was getting signs, I was sorely disappointed. Now I'm sorta anti-omen. I get scared when things seem to go my way and fall easily into place. Sure, I know I'm a nut job, but we all knew that already. I should know sometime next week and I'm freaking out.

Okay. Time for a deep breath and to head down to the studio with the "Happy Accidents" quilt. Time to prep that baby for launch...
10...9...8...7...6...5...

The beat goes on...

Did you ever find a new path and have it feel so right that you start tap dancing in the kitchen?

I've been struggling with my career path for over 20 years. In my 20s, I was so convinced that I would be a Broadway star that I quit school, left my husband, sold my car and moved to New York City. I will never regret the move, but it (obviously) didn't have the outcome I expected.

I've never finished school, which has been a bugaboo for me for years. I've been to graduation ceremonies for my sister's kids and I always felt bummed out afterwards. I already struggle with my feelings of being a failure and that exacerbates it. Not that I'm not proud of my nieces and nephew. I couldn't be prouder. They're all very successful in their respective fields and are wonderful people to boot.

I thought about going back to finish my Bachelor's, but that would require retaking a bunch of classes in order to have enough local credits to graduate. I thought about changing up my degree and going after Fashion Design. I loved (and aced) the one class I took, but the time and coin required to do a full degree on a part-time basis was daunting. Also, there was no real guarantee that I'd end up as a designer. The competition is fierce and I'm twice as old as most of my classmates were.

My husband is set to retire within a few short years. Our household is going to go through a shift soon and it's going to require my picking up the financial slack. It has become increasingly clear that my dramatic and artistic pursuits aren't going to be reliable sources of income. On one hand this breaks my heart, because I enjoy entertaining and creating. I do realize that my style may not have a mainstream audience. I've made peace with that. I've also made peace with the fact that, no matter how talented I am, I may not be what the director is looking for. I'm kind of a niche girl. With a very narrow niche.

What's a girl to do? I don't want to work as a check out girl, even at Target or a craft store because I'll spend more than I make. I had that problem when I worked at Hancock's. That's part of the reason why I have such a large fabric stash. No lie. Employee discounts are a dangerous thing around me.

Well, Let me tell ya a li'l story: When I had my nervous breakdown, part of what brought it on was that I was trying to work in a creative job as costume builder. I was going to use the money I earned to start my design business, Tequila Diamonds. When that fell waaay through, blammo! I had a nervous breakdown. What I needed was a trade.

Now, the notion of massage therapy has been ruminating since high school when we gave each other backrubs in acting class. I was just more focused on the acting. The idea has come and gone over the years. Apparently I’m pretty good at giving massages as many friends have suggested that I do it for a living. It recently came to the fore when my mom gave me a salon gift certificate for the express purpose of getting a massage and the salon didn’t have a therapist on the payroll when I called for the appointment. I thought, “I could do that. I should do that.”

I found a local massage therapy school that not only trains you to work at a spa or salon, but also more clinical aspects of transformative healing. They not only teach Eastern forms, but Western as well, which is more of what I'm interested in, but I can get a broader selection of tools to use and be more prepared for the job market as a result. The best part? They only teach massage therapies. I won't have to take anything not related to being the best therapist I can be. Their application process is rigorous. They aren't just looking for the most students (and their money) like some schools I could mention but won't, they're looking for the right students. I have a couple more steps to get in the door, but so far, things are looking up.

I'm not going to do any acting during this 20 month period of studying, except maybe some short, special appearance gigs. I'm still going to work on my art projects in my free time. There are times when I simply must create. I'm going to continue blogging and field tripping.

But I have to say, as I was researching schools for this path, the site for CenterPoint stood out to me. Everything was up front and honest. When I called, I received a return call within minutes and the follow up was incredibly professional and thorough. I also discovered that there was quite a spectrum of opportunities beyond the salon. In addition, I think I'll receive a host of therapeutic benefits from doing something that really interests me and helps others.

Did I finally find that elusive career? I feel I have. I've been tap dancing in the kitchen for the last few days.

So, Flowerpots, did you find your path yet? Did you settle for your career or did you settle into it? I'll just leave that here for you to ruminate upon...