Is it new? Try it, you might like it.

Take Pen to Paper: Edition 47 - And you may need to try it again.

Hi Friends!

I’m going to make a strong statement about something you may like.

English peas are my nemesis.

I say this because English peas were a mainstay in the family menus growing up. The rule at the table was you have to try everything on your plate. I don’t like English peas. So I was tormented by them throughout childhood and quite frankly, they make me gag.

Evidently, my parents were on to something 60 years ago. As parenting philosophies come and go, we now know that young children need to be introduced to a new food 10 to 15 times before the food might become part of the child’s food group likes.

Then we grow up. As adults, we aren’t required to try the peas on our plates. We get to eat what we want. It’s easy to stay the same.

I’m making a conscious effort to change.

I want to push myself out of my comfort zone, so I will grow. (I’m not talking about peas.)

I was 45 minutes into my first watercolor painting class when I thought. “I don’t like watercolors.”

The keyword in that sentence is ‘first’.

Photo by S.G.S. Abel

My first effort at watercolor was hard. The result (above) looked nothing like the instructor’s. She made it look so easy! At this point, I was sure working with watercolors wasn’t for me.

But I learned a lesson from journaling gratitude.

When I started writing gratitude, I committed to writing 30 days before deciding on whether to continue. Here I am, more than two years later, still writing gratitude.

I stuck to writing gratitude long enough to decide if it was a worthy action (for me) to make it a habit. I talked about the result in my last post. It seems that gratitude is one of my strongest virtues. I attribute that to my gratitude practice.

The small steps I took to build a journaling habit helped me see the benefits and decided to continue.

So back to watercolor painting class.

Three months later, another watercolor class was offered that piqued my interest - painting dragonflies and butterflies. This would definitely be different from a landscape. I signed up.

After two butterflies and a dragonfly, I thought, “I think I can do this.”

I liked the results so much I decided to frame the dragonfly.

Photo by S.G.S.Abel

Two weeks ago, I took my third watercolor class - watercolor flowers. We learned two techniques to approach painting flowers using watercolors.

I enjoyed the class!

I don’t think I’ll need 10 to 15 times before I decide whether watercolor painting is for me. I’m signing up for watercolor creatures next.

Are you giving the new adventures in your life a fair trial before you make your decision to stick to it?

Photo by S.G.S. Abel

7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good

1. My picture above shows the watercolor flowers from my class. Two were practicing different techniques. One was my choice using the technique I liked. Can you tell which is which? 🌸

2. I’m grateful for my adventures in art. It reminds me of this 3-minute podcast by Gretchen Rubin. “Playing at making art is the something as making art.” Of course, it’s important to remember for any creation, your not working on a masterpiece; you’re working towards a masterpiece.🎨

3. I’m grateful for my gratitude habit, which has progressed hand-in-hand with my writing journey. Benefits abound. ✍

4. If you’re dealing with a picky toddler, here is the article I referenced. It includes a few other ideas for dealing with a picky eater. You may decide as an adult you need to try new foods. Spices and cooking methods can make a big difference.🥦

5. This brief article tells the benefits of trying new things.

6. It’s good to try new things regularly to get into the habit. You will eventually find something that you like.

7. I’ve been enjoying Billy Oppenheimer’s newsletter. It’s always a quick read. In This week’s edition, he looks at how past experiences guide our present sensations. Maybe I need to consider my intense dislike of English peas in light of my past experiences with them.

Thank you for reading!

I hope I didn’t overwhelm you with my art this week. I’m having fun. It has made me want to encourage everyone to keep trying new endeavors.

❤

Susan

Have you tried a new endeavor lately? I would love to hear about your experience. Leave a comment!

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