Misplaced Muse

I've misplaced my muse. I don't know where I put it, or if it ran away. Maybe it's in hiding, waiting for the weather to break, like I am.
I've looked in all the usual places, my indoor jewelry studio, my outdoor glass studio, under my bed, in the closets, even in the books I use for inspiration. It has vanished. No trace of it. I really miss it.
I know it can't have gotten very far, because I just had it a few weeks ago. Like most precious things, I must have set it free, hoping it would return to me refreshed and renewed. I hope it returns soon because I am really lonely without it.
Please, let me know if you see it, and ask it to come back to me. I will be more respectful of it, I promise, and will cherish it they way it deserves.

Self-Preservation

I went and did it. The same thing I usually do when I am feeling down or out-of-sorts. The please make me feel better and pretty and thin thing that happens when I just can't pull myself up. I got my haircut. Not just any haircut, but a hairstyle. New for me. At a real salon. Where they have designers, instead of cosmetologists (did I spell that right?).
I told my designer who was new at this place to just do something. Use your artistic eye. Make me not look like a 50+ matron. Give me a little boho edge. But, whatever you do, don't let my ears stick out.
My ears, it seems, have a life of their own. Even though I stopped growing vertically around age 12, even though I could use a little more height, my ears continue to grow. It's a medical fact. Your ears and your nose continue to grow throughout your life. Mine have taken that to heart, at least in my mind. So I never like to have my whole ear showing.
So, my stylist first suggested a Chelsea cut, the kind where you put gel or mousse in your hair and the back sticks up ala "Jon and Kate". I said no, my daughters have already had that style and I don't want to compete. Then she suggested a short, modified bob, and since that's my husband name, I agreed. What could possibly go wrong with a bob?
As it turns out, nothing. It's OK for now. It is short and easy and updated. The only thing is, I am the only one that noticed my new, expensive hairstyle. I really don't look all that different. But I do feel a little more pampered, which I guess was the point of the whole thing.

It's really easy to get behind

because I haven't written here for over a week! Life has been busy, crazy, and I am just getting back into the swing of things in Phoenix. It was really hard coming down the mountain that final day, and I have been in a funk ever since. It didn't help that I took a weekend trip to Cleveland over Labor Day, a place that's not exactly known for its weather. It rained, of course, alot.
I am trying to gradually ease myself back into my everyday life, not the fantasy life I had in Flagstaff, but I am torn between jumping in feet first, or gently immersing myself back into a regular routine. Either way, I am kicking and screaming. I really wish I were a more accepting type of person, but I don't think that will ever happen for me. If I really don't want to do something, I plant my feet and try not to budge, and if I have to budge I am sullen. Not one of my more attractive qualities, but it is something I own. I know that.
I am trying to get in touch with the creative side of me, to ease the transition. I finally got to spend some time at the torch today, and it was productive and calming. If I take baby steps, and am more gentle with myself, I just might come out of this stormy place.

Back to Phoenix

and, as you all know, not very happy about it. Oh well, lemons to lemonade and all that jazz. I stayed in most of today to get acclimated once again to 110 degree days and searing pavement, and it gave me a chance to get caught up on some reading and Facebooking (is that a verb?) I came across my old friend, Angi Sullins, and her blogs, one of which you can find here-http://www.duirwaigh.com/message_from_the_muse.html/. What a fascinating story, optimistic lady, and creative genius. If you happen to feel down in the dumps, read her story and then pull yourself up and get on with life.
That is the business we are all in, after all, getting on with life, whether we like it or not. I have been reading and studying "Law of Attraction", positive thinking, Abraham, Byron Katie, etc. and most of the philosophy is the same. Live in the moment, the now, think good thoughts, believe in yourself and positive things will happen. Know that you are capable of creating a magnificent life. The first thing you must do is believe it is so. Sounds so simple, yet can be so difficult. Yet, most of us know the inherent truth in this statement.
You know how it is when you are having a bad day; a flat tire on the way to work, bad hair day, waking up late, cranky clients, etcetera, etcetera, etcetra. We have all had days like that. It seems that bad luck causes more bad luck. What would happen, do you think, that if, after the first thing that goes wrong you changed your thinking, or didn't let it define the rest of the day? So you overslept. Inconvenient? Of course. Life changing? Probably not. A little extra sleep? You bet!
This philosophy might not always be easy to follow, because we are creatures of habit and certain ideas may have become ingrained in our psyches. It is possible to change, to rewrite our story, to have the kind of life we imagine. We just need to believe it! The stronger we become in this belief leads to bigger and better creations. Once we see that something is working, we tend to use that process more frequently, and become more adept at it.
Go ahead, imagine the life you want-then go get it!

I feel like Jewly looks!

My last hike today. More pictures of Rock People and dead trees, and Jewly. Do you know how I feel?