May to Jessica - loosening up

I was happy with this one. The stamp provided so many details. Rather than struggle with those figures that look like they are being held up at gunpoint - I went with the itty-bitty details of the house and little sunbursts - a popular motif in quilting. Maybe they are just dancing.

Yesterday, I wrote for the umpteenth time - that loosening up is a function of putting in a ton of time. The question I like to ask people is this: Can you think of something that you spent a lot of time becoming very proficient at doing and once you mastered it, you could toss it off easily - and add a little flair. Something that you just love doing - and you lose track of time while you are engaged in the activity. 

Lots of people have a skill like that. They know how much joy it brings them and they tend to forget how much time it took to master the skill. They often take it for granted that they have the skill. But every single one of us appeared out of nowhere - with no skills. We were little blobs and then we were feral children and it took a long to time to figure things out. Except for the very occasional prodigy, nothing comes easy. We all have to work at our skills.

Penmanship is deceiving. Pretty much everyone can write - but it takes time to turn it into something special. Juliana said :  Nearly 30 years of drafting have ruined me and I doubt anyone would describe anything about me as "loose."  

I don't think Juliana is *ruined* - all that skill at precision is fabulous. That's where she ended up. She's like a ballerina who wants to break dance. It's not that ballet has *ruined* the ballerina - she just has to decide how motivated she is to learn something different.

Here's the kicker -- do Juliana and the ballerina really have time to learn something wildly different. Maybe not right now - but - maybe someday....