Serious or glorious?

I was thinking about the posts I have written and thinking that maybe it was all getting a bit too deep and serious.
 I suppose I could have started a blog for videos of cute kittens and laughing babies. I could have tried a comedy blog, but really I'm not funny enough. I could have blogged about something very intelligent and abstract to try to get a cultural following.
Somehow all of these seem just hollow. I'm a reality girl myself. I like to talk about what is real and honest. Life sucks sometimes and covering it up with a sticking plaster of casual entertainment just doesn't seem to do justice to how we are feeling. It's like patting someone on the back and saying "You'll soon get over it," when they have just announced that their marriage has ended. Platitudes just won't wash.
However, life is also glorious and unexpected and hilarious sometimes. I'm all for being honest about that too!
I have enjoyed this autumn like no autumn that I can remember. The wet summer followed by a sudden cold snap in October meant that all the trees turned over a few short weeks and it was superb. How I enjoyed photographing it all, and now how I am enjoying painting it too!

 

Actually life is both serious and glorious, often at the same time! So I guess my blog will always have elements of both. I hope you can cope!
:-)

Enjoying life

I have to admit to being very happy with my life. It is crazy-busy and complex at times, but actually I just love the variety.
In the last week I have:

• Gone to photograph litter on an estate and seen waxwings (rather beautiful migrant birds) on bushes next to the path
• Delivered posters around town centre shops and talked to shop keepers
• Made mince pies and cardboard angels
• Taught 4 -7 year olds in Sunday School
• Visited a huge marble "temple" for the worship of materialism, namely the Trafford Shopping Centre in Manchester
• Worked on two different paintings
• Seen a video of my 6 month old granddaughter pulling herself up to standing
• Chaired a meeting to set up a footpaths and bridleways group
• Attended a lunch for prospective town clerk candidates
• Sent out an email newsletter to customers

And that's just the stuff I can remember!

One thing that occurs to me is that, though I haven't always enjoyed life, I have never wanted to live anyone else's life. Even when I was being bullied at school, I didn't wish to be anyone else. Although I did often wish to be me in a different time and place!
I wish I had known then what I know now, about living at peace with yourself, accepting the bad things as a season that will end (as all seasons end) and about enjoying the things that are in front of you. It is hard to be entirely downcast when there are waxwings, mincepies and granddaughters to be appreciated and enjoyed!