Anticipation

Tis the season! The busiest time of year is here. To date, we are a little over a week out to the Nash County DU banquet, a month out to the Raleigh DU banquet, and two months out to the best weekend of the year…Waterfowl Weekend at the End of the Road. Between painting and my real job, I honestly haven’t had much time to think. But after being laid out on the couch all weekend getting over a cold, the anticipation has set in and boy do I feel it.

One of my achilleas heels is that I can second guess myself. I’m very much a planner…personally and professionally. I’m big into making sure I’ve looked at something from all angles, and yes, this comes down to critiquing each of my pieces I do.

I plan out each DU piece from scratch starting from a simple sketch attempting to cater to the personality and demographic of each chapter. Waterfowl Weekend, let me just say, takes me all year to get ready for it. I seriously start January 1st after giving myself a few weeks off. Throw in a creative block for a week or two and you’ve got yourself one heck of a year.

My anticipation (or worry) often revolves around will my piece auction off for a good price? I mean, I get no money whatsoever from my DU donation. However, I always want to see it do well and help each chapter reach their financial goal. For Waterfowl Weekend, I anticipate the weather. Will it be good? Or will it be the frozen tundra like last year? Will I sell any pieces? Or will I come back with every single one I took? Will my pieces even make sense to people?

I was reading through my devotional tonight to which it was centered on Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in his time.” How true that is looking ahead into the next few months for me. I can sit here and think about what’s ahead all I want. But the good Lord already has it planned out. I mean let’s not forget about the water leak wrench he threw in the bucket last year during this time.

I am thankful for the time I get to paint. It is so precious these days. I am thankful for each creative block I’ve experienced this year. It’s only led to bigger and better pieces once I push through them. I’m thankful for the people who support me. Who ask about my work and for those that purchase it. It means the world.

I’m excited for the months ahead. I can sit around, and wonder did I paint the right piece or if the weather is going to stink again. Much like every other day of life, the Lord is just asking me to show up and give it to Him. He’s telling me to stop second guessing myself and to trust Him for what’s ahead.

At the end of the day, I can heavily anticipate what’s to come…or I can go paint. And I think I’ll go paint. As I’ve said many times before, it’s an absolute blessing to have an outlet of self-expression that I can share with other people. I’m so thankful for the opportunities it has given me and the connections I have made through it. Hope to see you at a DU banquet soon or better year at Harkers Island the first weekend of December!