What Stays?

I’ve read many blogs and posts, as I’m sure you have, about what a crazy, difficult, painful year this has been. I’m not going to write another blog about that. It’s also the time for new years resolutions. I don’t do those any more since I almost always break them after a month or so. But I can’t help thinking about what changes will remain from this year of imposed reform. we will look back and think of how it used to be before 2020. How long will we continue to wear masks? I bet more companies will allow employees to work remotely, more zoom meetings. Zoom parties and gatherings. I think restaurants will come back, but differently. Maybe more food trucks, more take-out only places. Some changes I welcome, others I am glad to see go.

Looking inwardly, I’ve taken stock of changes I see in myself. I’ve had to reorder some priorities. My health (and state of mind) are more important than concerts, movies, dining out, traveling, so much more. We all have had to make the same sacrifices. What other changes would I want to keep? I’ve been doing yoga at home on my living room floor. I love that. I’ve spent more time in my little home studio. That’s a love/I-can‘t-wait-to-get-out kind of thing. But it has led to a new body of work in a different style. I’ve been taking more time to think about what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. I’ve been cutting myself a little more slack lately. It’s ok if a painting isn’t working out the way I wanted. It’s ok if I haven’t stuck to my studio schedule. If I haven’t posted on Instagram for a while. The world won’t fall apart, my art practice won’t stop, I’ll be ok. Life will go on, but differently. Maybe some changes for the better.

What do you think? What changes do you see in the world that you think will stay? In what ways have you changed that you want to keep? Let me know in comments below.