Polka Dot Soup : On Breathing

As you may have noticed, over the past several months I've greatly reduced the amount of blog posts here on Polka Dot Soup. I'm not entirely sure where the lack of posts stems from, it's more from a combination of things. Partly due to the fact that I've been spending most of my weekdays glued to a computer screen, and realizing that something had to give in order to stay healthy. That something was this blog. Feeling tugged in numerous directions, and trying to decide which direction this little blog was going to take was overwhelming. Learning about marketing and how to improve website SEOs in class was intimidating : how was I supposed to take my blog down the right path if I'm not sure what path I even want to take it down? I needed to take a step back and just breathe.

What I've come to discover over the past few months, more than ever, is that it's the little things. It's all in the little things. Those choice little moments of joy when you place fresh flowers in a jar, receive a text from a far-away friend, smell the fresh scones that a loved one takes to your door, the deep breath of fresh air as you narrowly escape world's largest puddle, read a chapter of God's word that sticks to your bones, giggles over a silly sitcom, or finally tackling that huge canvas that has been taunting you for ages. It's those things that are noteworthy, share-worthy, blog-worthy. So be prepared friends, for more snapshots into my daily life. It's those little daily triumphs and struggles that connect us.

The bookmark shown above is one that I created for a class assignment. Creating that little bookmark brought me joy. Sitting curled up on the couch, music playing with only me and my sketchbook, I sat in the lamplight of our living room and brought Psalm 119:105 to life: 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

After I digitized it, coloured it, and printed it off, I was required to stage it. Instead of going with my original plan of sticking the bookmark in a open book and calling it a day, I decided to go the extra mile. Setting the bookmark in a tattered antique novel, propping a pair of reading glasses on the book, and placing each item on top of a large piece of scrapbook paper took no more than a couple of minutes out of my day but made the world of difference. A little extra care can bring something, or someone, to life. 

I'm off to enjoy a bowl full of vegetable soup with my husband. We've got big plans of crashing in the living room for the evening with Netflix and tea. It's those little bits of fresh air that make each day so exhilarating. Enjoy your day!