Day 16. Life is like a…

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“My own font yard” 11×14, oil on canvas

We were watching TV the other night eating those little Dove dark chocolates with the messages inside the wrapper. I opened mine to read something along the lines of, “Live with no regrets. It’s worth it” which I obviously and appropriately scoffed at– clearly bad advice. My husband started laughing, claiming I’m so contrary that I’ll even take the opposite position of a piece of chocolate. Fair enough.

But still my scoff was sincere. Regrets I have plenty and they can be my best teachers when I let them. I find the biggest ones not to be what I said or did but what I didn’t say and didn’t do. 

I was on the receiving end of some simple words the other day– something like “your blog about being your own best coach really helped me.” She didn’t know I’d hit the part in the 31 where everything I write sounds pretty dumb. That I was wondering if this whole “advice” thing was a bit absurd. I typically really hate unsolicited advice, and here I was giving it at every turn. The audacity. But just a few simple words, and I felt back on solid ground and inspired to let other people know when something they say or do hits a chord, makes me think, or gives me hope. I have so many regrets about not doing that. 

Today’s painting is the palette knife version of day 12. There’s Ezra again in our own flooded front yard just figuring it out as he goes. I’m sure he’ll get some advice along the way. And I’m sure some of it he’ll keep and some he’ll throw out like the tin foil wrapper of piece of chocolate. 

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Picture of Denise Hopkins

Denise Hopkins

January 16, 2022

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