dealing with dragons

Friday, February 21, 2014










my favourite drawing tools + favourite drawing companion / the end of Water St. looking out into the strait / afternoon meeting with floral collage / love, love Miss D now in her 16th year / geranium blossom / Sam& Winnie / Oliver telling Virgil a secret / breakfast - veggie frittata with greens / virginia creeper stems/cuttings in water (for Rachel who loves stems in water ;-)

Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.

Rainer Maria Rilke

Oh Rainer Maria Rilke you are my fav … you say the best things ever.

I've been wrestling my many demons dragons, actually I've been trying to not wrestle with them. I keep forgetting  - no wrestling ! - the odd dragon slaying if necessary, but definitely no wrestling ! And to imagine instead that those dragons might be princesses, befriending them, accepting them, forgiving them, loving them ... by far the hardest work on my plate. Hard because it takes so much practice & self awareness, hard because it is counter intuitive for our species I think to approach negative thinking in this new way but I believe with all my heart that it is the path ... my path to more peace, serenity & ease.


I have learned so much this past year about the anxious mind - about my anxious mind. And what happens when anxiety ramps up & careens out of control like a runaway car, the brakes stuck and the gas - pedal to the metal. I'll confess I didn't cope well. I crashed & burned on repeat. Everything I've learned about me & anxiety this past year I learned the hard way which is sometimes the best way & often the only way you really learn those big important life lessons.

Trial by fire, a bit of rock bottoming - who am I kidding there was a lot of bouncing off the bottom of my life from September 2013 on. But oh my, some dragons slain, some dragons turned to princesses, my work load eased up considerably and with many brand new coping skills firmly in place I feel myself lighter, happier & way more confident then I've ever felt. I know I can & will deal with any & all dragons that come my way. I trust me. I have faith in me. Hooray for that !

10 comments:

  1. ... and remember Steve Jobs quote! Love the stems under H2O. woof ~moose

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  2. What a quote from Rilke! Shocking, in fact, in a good way.

    Winnie looks like she is made to be in the snow. That Oliver photo is too much, he looks so serene.

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  3. Thank you for my photo of stems in water! I'm watching my tulips in their lovely big vase, as they grow taller - tulips can't stand still, can they!

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  4. Hey Dalyce !! long time …
    Thank you my friend for your awesome comment ;-)
    much love to you xoxo Susan

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  5. I'm so loving all the photos of your animal family with their eyes closed, enjoying the sun, the outside, even the snow. So good for my heart to see all of these photos. (And glad that your lunch made it into the mix, too!)

    Can you tell me which Rilke book I should buy to read? Have never read any, but keeping seeing quotes that call me to! (Did I tell you I started a Book Club? We are scattered over Japan and both coasts of North America, but we meet on the web and talk every three weeks about a new book. So much fun. Just goes to show, you don't have to wait for the conditions to be right - can I find 10 friends who can meet at the same time in my little town?), but that if you put out the call, you will be surprised by how many other people are thinking the same thought. :-) Maybe we will do Rilke...

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  6. Trey and Wendy send, "Woofs" ...
    I just send hugs ...

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  7. Glorious photos dear Susan, Winnie looks so sweet with her dusting of snow, love that vast landscape of ice and snow, Oliver and Virgil are so cute and the photo of Oliver is beautiful, he looks very relaxed.
    Rilke is just wonderful!
    love and hugs
    xoxoxo ♡

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  8. Hi Susan, I've been off and on following your blog ever since I found you in a comments section of the Miss Modish website... a few years ago! Your comment said something about your location in Nova Scotia, and that's what got my attention, as I also live in NS (Halifax!).

    I'm glad to have found this beautiful post today- so inspiring! Thank you for sharing :) I'm also a struggling self-employed creative person and I have anxiety from time to time as well. I'm having a hard time trusting the ups and downs, and my ability to get through.

    The path of any artist or creative is so challenging in so many ways. Good for you for staying strong and learning to trust yourself! :)

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