Today’s Daily Stoic writing prompt: How can I make do with the tough situations I face?

The associated meditation talks about finding a way to continue learning when life throws up roadblocks. I’m musing on this particularly right now because it was just about a year ago when I was doing just this. I’d started to find new, meaningful activities to use my skills in.

Today, I had the day planned, and it started off well. Mini golf went well (even if I wasn’t playing that well–I wasn’t taking it seriously) followed by a shared jumbo bucket at the driving range. I quite accidentally managed to ping the guy driving the golf ball zamboni in the knee with one of my drives, and managed to hit his vehicle on another drive. There was a stop at Fortino’s for some fruit, and we picked up Swiss Chalet (even thought it was early). Since my planned day was a little out of whack, I spent the next couple of hours catching up on some email and doing some early sketching for the scroll painting session I’d planned for the evening.

And then Dave needed the printer. OK, I said, I’ll take a break. Get it out of the way.

It took two hours. And then all of a sudden my momentum was just…gone.

This isn’t a tough situation. It’s a minor annoyance. I am not on a deadline. But I finally was about to start laying paint down on this scroll I’ve had assigned for close to a year and have had planned out for most of that time, and my heart’s not in it now. I had planned to do most of the painting tonight, and had a sense of how long that will take–and now I don’t have enough time. I will have to leave this thing partially completed.

Well then. I’ve come downstairs to at least write my blog post for the day, and maybe that’ll get me back into the right frame of mind–or maybe it’ll convince me that it’s just fine to let it be for the day and to pick it back up tomorrow.

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I think I may end up just listening to Mahler 2 tonight, and be done with it. Mahler 2 takes over an hour and a half and is best enjoyed when one can actually concentrate on it fully. This is the symphony that I heard for the first time live, and it just blew me away with its intensity.

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Here is my completed vest from yesterday:

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Also, the An Tir scribal challenge judging is over, and I’ll be able to share my images. I could tonight, but again, heart’s not in it. So, tomorrow. Off I go to listen to the Mahler.