How many paths I've tread. So many dusty dirt roads. I've kicked dust and gotten stuck in the mud. A fairly new postal worker of all things! A 'rural carrier associate' to be precise. A means to an end? A job I never imagined and a detour in my view. While bringing surprising gifts it has also worn threads bare. Going into it I imagined a three or four day week, nevertheless, in this current postal model of business I have often found myself working seven day weeks with a few 13 hour days to boot.  The USPS is a corporation and it's current model of business seems a little off if not entirely bent out of shape! No complaining though. I find my position a catalyst for change. There are times I struggle not painting for days, sometimes weeks pass and I barely touch a brush. I trust though. I believe this abstinence from art too shall pass and I hold close those days I have in the studio that encourage growth, strength, will and the pure desire to create. I attend at least  a weekly Plein Air Painting group that meets Wednesdays' always at exciting outdoor locations such as St Gaudens and The Fells or NH. This one organized artistic event during my week holds a three hour respite from the postal service and submerges me in nature nourishing my inner spirit. It carries me through those dry times away from the brush and places me with encouragement from others a valued resource for any artist. If you struggle to create I advise you join a group and create that space for yourself. The effort to attend a class and to support your self, the arts and most of all your own creative heart is so worth it. I know the struggles getting to the easel. I work that more than full time job, I'm a mother, a grandmother, a land owner, a farmer, an equestrian and an artist. Our paths are not straight and narrow they are huge and open. It can get shaded and downright convoluted. We face darkness and we see the light. We have our hearts ripped from our chests and our beliefs are challenged and thrown in front of us. Life!  We ride waves flying on crests and flailing through troughs. And, no matter how you see it we either keep on trekking that path, setting our intentions we will find the strength, the stamina, the will that carries us forth to great destinations. Bring it on.