I’ve been spending time hanging out in the bead store lately, and I’ve noticed a change in myself. The time has mostly been spent shopping or visiting, and not necessarily making any bead work, but I’ve been around people who have. It made me realize how that environment really gets the creative juices flowing, and before I knew it, I was inspired to jump into a new project! The holidays have been guiding my bead time towards projects to give as gifts, and so I’ve been working in beads that have colors and shapes that appeal to the person I’m giving a gift to. That works great in making me break out of my same old ways and work in beads that I wouldn’t normally pick for myself. But its also like being teased a bit! Don’t get me wrong, hand made gifts are the BEST gifts to give and receive… I guess I’m just anxious to do something that different and fun.

Here I am getting ready to roll my sleeves up and jump into new stuff. There’s a thought process going on here. I’ve got to change some of my beady ways so that I don’t run into the same thing I did last year, which is not really make enough time for my own beading… and the start of the new year is going to be the perfect time to do it! I do have a good excuse, having had a baby and all, but there’s no reason not to spend a little more time beading instead of say, folding clothes or snipping rose bushes.

So here I go, making my beading resolutions for the year to come. Ready?? 1) Make the time. I think this is the most important one! I hear people say all the time that they don’t have time for things, even for stuff that they REALLY want to do, and I think of how untrue the statement is… they DO have time. They have the same amount of time that Mother Teresa and Einstein had in each day, and do you think they filled up their hours with trivial time-wasters such as shaping the juniper bush and alphabetizing the DVD collection? Ridiculous! Not that I do either of those things. I don’t even own a juniper bush. But you know what I mean. We seem to fill our days up with things we think we have to do, and much of it is spent spinning our wheels. So my real resolution should be to make sure I make the most of my time to get the important things done, like housework, errands, shopping, and preparing meals in a way that is streamlined and sensible, and I’ll find myself with leftover time to do something for myself!!

At times, beading has seemed like a luxury, like a long bubblebath that’s relaxing and calming and nurturing. But too indulging when my one year old really, really, really wants to jump on the couch or have me chase him and hang him upside down over and over. How can I linger in the tub or steal time away from a little tiny tot that needs to have his Mama lay on the kitchen floor and watch him climb under the rungs of the chairs? I might miss a moment of my son’s growing up… and I don’t want to do that. So we’ll have to make a game out of folding laundry and making beds that he’ll find fun. He’ll learn a good work ethic in the meantime and the chores will get done… and then I’ll have time when he naps to make a gorgeous bracelet! You can’t think of it as selfish time. Its self-caring time, and I’m going to self-care my way into some fabulous crystal earrings!

I don’t have a second resolution. Number one is all encompassing in that if I just find the time, I mean MAKE the time, I will have opportunity to try new things, learn new techniques, make more gifts, share ideas and more. What are your bead resolutions going to be?