Sabbatical Thoughts from July 2

 A lot of the work that I've been doing on Sabbatical has been more internal than I expected, so this morning I had the idea to create "highlight images" of some of the insights I've been gleaning to share with anyone who might be interested. I'll use this blog to provide a bit of context, if anyone is interested.

After!

Before (it was actually
less pink and more
mauve)

I have a t-shirt from a show I did over ten years ago that I never wear - not because I don't want to remember the show, but because the color of the shirt and the color of the logo on it didn't really contrast enough, and it bothered me. Like, a lot. I didn't want to get rid of the shirt, but it was just sitting in my closet. Yesterday, I decided to dye the shirt a darker color, and the results delighted me so much that I put the shirt on immediately. 

From my sabbatical journal:

"It's interesting that the 'creative' projects I've found the most joy in are the ones where the end result isn't something entirely new, but is instead something old that I make more 'useful' to me. Adding pockets to dresses I haven't worn in years, dyeing a shirt I tend to avoid because of the color, knitting a new sweater out of the unraveled yarn of an uncomfortable one. I hate things taking up space, and it's so rewarding to me to 'fix' them instead of just getting rid of them. I don't think I knew that about myself before. 

"It kind of reminds me of the promise of the rainbow after the flood - God can easily throw everything out and start over again, but ultimately finds more joy in in reworking what's already there. This proves true in resurrection, too. Creating from scratch IS joyful - but there's also joy to be found in using one's creativity to preserve what already exists through reimagination."