I was happy with what I accomplished in art class. I juggled my watercolor palette, paints and the picture I had begun—blue daisies on a white background. My arms were so full that I had to set some things down in order to unlock the door of my car. I spent the afternoon running errands and arrived home in time to fix supper. When I unloaded my packages, groceries and art supplies from the car, I couldn’t see my daisy picture. Oh no! I had put it on top of my car. Of course, it was no longer there. I drove back to the school where my art class was held. My picture was not in the parking lot. I inquired in the office. No one had turned it in. I stood in the parking lot and took one last look around. Then I saw it. There was a white board on the sidewalk across the street. I hurried across the street and turned it over. Yes! It was my daisy picture.
But it now had tire tracks across the background. I examined the picture critically, and I saw that the tire tracks hadn’t seemed to affect the daisies. So, I decided to finish the picture. And I did.
When people look at my Daisies in the Parking Lot picture, they often comment on my unusual background. When we talk about mixed media in art class, my friends say, “Rose is good at mixed media. She uses watercolor and tire tracks.”
My life is like that. Sometimes things don’t happen according to my plan. My progress seems to be blocked, but I have choices. I can be discouraged and quit, or I can figure out a different way to accomplish my goal. Or I can choose a different goal. Covid-19 isolated me at home, but I didn’t have time to complain. I opened a Zoom account and learned how to tell stories on Zoom. Our family started an art club and a cooking club. Using Zoom, everyone participates in the safety of their own home. Sunday night is reserved for Family Chat on Zoom. I sew, paint, cook, take walks, and find ways to make each day matter.
Daisies in the Parking lot has been framed and placed on a wall in my home. When I look at it, I am reminded that I am capable of adapting in order to move forward with my goals.