Been Awhile.

So, it has been a little while since I blogged. I have been quite a busy girl lately. But, today's post is not about where I have been or what I have been up to for the past few months. Today's edition is about the "why" I have been too busy to post.

Tragedy has struck several friends and families I know this summer. Some of the people directly affected by the tragedies I haven't seen in years and some are very close friends. It was like every time I turned around, I was hearing bad news. A teenage boy from my hometown was killed on a tractor, one of my childhood friends lost her sister in a car wreck, another very close friend was hospitalized for 18 days and diagnosed with life altering diseases, and several (yes, several) of my friends had miscarriages. And yet, none of the tragedy happened directly to me. But, it all affected me. It all changed my paradigm.

I don't know about you, but there are things that I have always wanted to do:  like grow a vegetable garden,  painting, make jewelry, take beautiful pictures people want to frame, play the guitar, form a band and be the lead singer, dance unhibitedly, have my own horse and ride whenever I want to, restore antique furniture, teach in Africa, get my Ph.D, and my list continues.... I understand that some of these things appear to be minor. You're like "Grace, go ahead and do it. Just do it." But, for some reason, I have always been too scared to just jump right in. I have always been timid at the start of something new.

But not anymore. If there is anything that I have learned this summer is that tomorrow may be guaranteed, but it's not necessarily guaranteed to you. So, I have been too busy to blog because I have been working on completing and preparing for things I have always wanted to do. So far, I have been making jewelry, completed a silk screen painting class, learned to draw Celtic knots, expressed my emotions through clay art, practicing on my guitar and harmonica, being the lead singer of my new band that consists of me and my truck radio, grew my first vegetable garden, applied to UGA graduate school for Spring semester and oh, I definitely danced unhibitedly all by myself while I was at the University of Connecticut's professional development for gifted learning. Yep, I was that girl swaying to the music all by my lonesome on the dance floor while people just stared. And it felt great because I was doing exactly what I wanted to do. As far as Africa, well I am looking into UGA's Tanzania trip for next summer. Anyone care to join me?

So, my challenge is for you to do the same. Write it down and get it done. Just do it. Why wait?