What avocation do you indulge in that makes you feel alive?

Piano and painting in my opinion are therapeutic. 

I immerse in the activities and time seems to slow down. I can hear and feel my breathing, and my heart beating. I lose myself.

It all began a year ago before I left for thailand. When I came up with the idea, I set into action acquiring all the materials I would require. I was so excited I couldn't wait to show the world my creations.

I did not get discouraged when I felt judged about what I was about to create, instead I was even more inspired.

This is how I put it together: I have a light table, a shag rug, a piece of glass with four half inch legs attached to it. I put the piece of glass over the shag rug and what I see in it I draw with an erasable black medium point marker.

I than take that piece of glass and put it on top of my glass table with a light underneath it. I illuminate the glass and place a piece of vellum (transparent paper) over the abstract drawing.

I use acrylic water color paints and paint what I feel the drawing calls for. I have been told I paint different monsters. I guess each person would see the abstract differently. To me they are odd shaped faces, some may resemble monsters.

I than erase the drawing with water and a piece of paper towel and start all over again.

Why am I telling you this? Because I feel that each and everyone of us has something unconventional we wish to do. Is it fear that's holding you back? Do you feel like you will be judged? Why do you have to do what everyone else is doing?

You don't, you won't, and it shouldn't.

Life is about what you make of it. You can sit there and make yourself feel socially accepted, and that is okay. What is not okay is not being yourself and pretending to be someone you are not.

A friend of mine had reminded me that what I am doing is a form of meditation. I guess I never looked at it this way. I always pictured meditation is sitting still with your arms on your knees, doing the deep exhales and inhales. However what I have discovered is that everyone's meditation varies. Mine happens to be in creating art, and playing piano.

Take notice to the activities you engage in that place you in a calm state of mind. Do yourself a favor and do those activities daily. It will reduce stress for you, it will bring you purpose in life and it will make you happy even if it is just while doing that particular activity.

Explaining how and why I do my art is gratifying.

I paint regularly and no longer am able to play the piano since I have moved from a 3000 square foot house to a 1000 square foot apartment. Playing piano brought joy because of the challenge and the beautiful outcome of the music once the notes were properly placed together.

Soon I will move back into a house and will make room for a piano so I can practice daily. I do notice the more time I make for practicing the easier it gets, and the easier it gets it becomes more fun.

I am not doing it for glamour or to become famous, although it is exhilarating when I played in front of some of my friends.

I do it for me because I want to.

What you choose to do with this information is up to you.

To be continued....