Believe it or not, it is week twenty-eight in Scribbled Lives and we were prompted to do something around the word flowers. I thought of this quote, as it is a beautiful cross-stitch my Mom did that hangs in our guest area. I actually ended up doing five or six versions of this piece. As I neared the end of each version I stopped before I finished as I did not like it. So I left it undone and moved onto another idea. I found myself trying too hard, overworking things, and trying to be some artist I was not. I took a deep breathe, created this version and liked it enough to consider it done.
A couple days later I realized my problem was trying to be something I am not. Working to draw flowers that look perfect was an exercise in madness. Once I settled back into my own skin and skillset it went much better. I thought about how this relates to flowers. They are what they are. An iris is different than a rose, or zinnias or even daisies. They do what they do with excellence. They are focused and stand tall, then they hopefully come back next year. And they come back next year as the same flower they were this year. They know what they are and that is what they focus on…being the best flower they can be year after year.
I am going to remind myself of this each time I sense that I am overworking, overthinking, or working hard to do something that is not what I am skilled at doing. I will always give things my all, and remind myself that I am a daisy…not a rose, or an iris or even zinnias. The day will go much better when I am joyously content to be a daisy!
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