Wednesday, August 6, 2008

a bad strategy



Mosaic Woman and I often speak of strategies that....

Avoidance is one of those. Avoid a problem, a conversation, a project, an issue, a desire, a difficulty, a love, a promise... and you do not get rest.

I leaped into a commissioned project and it flowed till it was one step away from being finished. But it was something new and I was filled with fear of doing something new. Thus I called on avoidance and the project sat. I avoided researching the task, I avoided talking to the woman who had commissioned the work, I avoided doing any stained glass work. Clearly it was a strategy that was working quite well.

But the kingdom unfolds and if we take advantage of situations that come our way...




in this case it was a catalog from Delphi glass and a prompt from Mosaic Woman who was looking through it.... "There are some tools here for cutting zinc came..." and the avoidance was gone. Well I could have screamed and ran from the room, but at that instant...



then two days after the package came, the one who commissioned the project in the midst of a tour walked into my room. Asked about the status and praised me for my work at the school and in my studio. Telling the person with her and my students of my talents. She heard my story and my apology and my promise to complete the project this weekend.

coming out of avoidance is not easy. But there is help out there...







all these photos were taken in Ithaca, NY on the way to Jazz in Rochester and make up part of St. Catherine Greek Orthodox Church, which we came across doing one of our favored activities--- walking about.

4 comments:

  1. Ithaca isn't far from where I am, about an hour to the north of where we live.

    I like how you incorporated the church into the post, and glad everything worked out.

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  2. se--- have you had tapas in Ithaca?

    I still need to finish the project this weekend, but I am optimistic.

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  3. I love the pictures, recognize the anxiety.........

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  4. Jim-- many of us share these strategies that don't work well, tis amazing how we all think they will work. The church was amazing to come upon as we walked the streets of Ithaca.

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