I hope everyone is doing well and having a fabulous week! A very happy birthday to my younger brother, Drew! Hopefully, everyone stayed warm this week because it got rather chilly. The cooler weather definitely makes it more challenging to have the motivation to get up in the morning and leave the comfy confines of my blankets. I got so cozy on Saturday morning that I ended up unintentionally falling back asleep. Anyone else struggle with this?
My dream recall was fairly fuzzy when I woke up Monday morning. There was something about going to school, like a college, and another part with watercolors, but that's all I could remember once I woke up.
My dream recall was a bit hazy when I woke up on Tuesday morning, but I was on a world that was similar to Earth. It was either a version of Earth that had magic or another world altogether. I got fed up with other people's BS in the dream. I was part of what seemed to be a survey/exploration team. I had a husband/boyfriend/partner (not sure to the specifics of the relationship) that ended up coming back wounded from a mission. Other members of the team started giving us grief, even though my partner and I had gone above and beyond time and time again, pulling off great feats. They started trying to rush things, pushing that we go on this dangerous mission, trying to get on this massive wall of lava. I pointed out that we didn't know what was on the other side of it or even how thick it was, so we should go slow and take our time, ensuring everyone's safety. The others weren't having it, demanding that we do more, as if we needed to earn our keep.
Royally ticked off, I requested a meeting with the council. The head of the council, Tiffany, met with me and another council member. I started off slow, explaining the situation after warming her up by praising all the good our group was doing. The real kicker was the members that had been pushing for the dangerous lava mission never went our in the field at all and always remained behind at a cushy office job. Tiffany and the other council member were surprised to learn about what members of the group were doing. My partner showed up, surprised to see me with part of the council. While he seemed to have the same idea with me, he seemed a bit upset that I went to talk with them without him because he wanted a united front. Another member of the group that had witnessed the whole incident/exchange earlier came to inform the council, too. Her name was Beth, and she was mainly bothered with how my partner and I were treated; while she thought the lava mission was dangerous, it was more or less suggested rather than official, so she wasn't too concerned. She was concerned with how other members were trying to belittle us, though, especially after everything we had done for the group. Tiffany and the other council member were really warm and caring and assured us that the council wouldn't allow such behavior. There was something else about needing to put on this special outfit; apparently, I had gotten banged up in the last mission and was struggling to do it by myself. My partner offered to help, but I was reluctant to accept because he had gotten pretty injured in the last mission and I didn't want to put any strain on his body. He light-heartedly scoffed at my ridiculousness and helped me lace up the back before embracing me with a gentle hug. It was really sweet, and I felt treasured, loved, and safe. More happened, but that's all I could remember once I woke up.
My dream recall was pretty hazy when I woke up on Wednesday. There was something about art and collages I think, but specific details were elusive. Kind of felt like a lit happened, but I didn't remember what exactly happened. It wasn't any better on Thursday morning; my dream recall was rather fuzzy. I think there was something about coloring books, but specifics remained elusive. It was a struggle to get up Friday morning. My dream recall was pretty fuzzy, too. There was something about being at a park with one of the boys I normally babysit, and he seemed to be preparing for school, checking to make sure he had everything he needed. There was something else about Miley Cyrus and Lindsay Lohan being friends and painting something on a building. That's all I could remember, though.
It was a struggle to wake up on Saturday morning; I ended up falling back asleep and just felt rather lethargic. There was something about art. At one point my mom was creating a clock out of clay. She wanted to put a fake owl inside of it. It sort of seemed like it was a cuckoo clock. At another point I seemed to be at this place that was like Disney/Six Flags/Chuck E. Cheese. There was this game type area where people were kind of playing something akin to laser tag. Looney Toon characters seemed somehow involved, and someone was dressed and Elmer Fudd. A lot of people were having fun when this black, goopy character came out of a closet. People tried to challenge the individual, thinking it was part of the game. It didn't go over well, and it seemed like the being was something like a zombie. It started infecting other people. There was some special three-step process to defeat it, but specifics got fuzzy. More definitely happened, but that's all I could remember once I woke up.
It was a bit of a challenge to get up this morning since I was so comfortable. My dream recall was a bit fuzzy, but there was something about art. There was another part that seemed to revolve around this group of wealthy people. They had a massive home, but there was something about the dad not wanting to run the heating/air conditioner past a certain point. Ironically, there was at least one massive bath that was incredibly deep and was more like a pool; he was fine with constantly cycling warm water through the bath but refused to adjust the thermostat. There was something about the teenaged boy's only friend dying, which depressed him to no ends, but it turned out the friend actually just moved across the world. There was something else about how the family installed these Nintendo consoles that resembled the Gameboy Advanced, but they couldn't get them to work, so they were convinced they were sold faulty merchandise. In reality, they hadn't set any of them up correctly. I went over, saw a piece wasn't connected correctly, fixed it, and it immediately started working. They all started to play a game that resembled Mario Kart. That's all I remembered upon waking up.
The boys are excited about Halloween and have been discussing The Nightmare Before Christmas a lot, coming up with all sorts of theories, speculations, and commentaries. Conversations led to discussing The Owl House and the oddity that is Hootie (but we love him). We also discussed the "lore" of the Ken saga some more, and they can't believe anyone ever thought he was a "real boy." When they had some gummy sharks, we joked about how they were actually gummy bears in disguise. The boys and I ended up joking with each other a lot this week. I'll bring them gifts sometimes like candy, so they like playing a guessing game on what it is. One day they tried guessing what it was, and I joked that I just brought them a bag of salt. Another day we joked that I brought them a bag of rocks, and they joked back that rocks are delicious, so that's all that matters.
Tsuki was her normal nutty self this week. She was excited most of the week because the remodelers didn't bother to show up until Friday, and then she was quite miffed. She kept trying to break her way out of the bedroom, digging at the floor, trying to twist the doorknob, smacking the door, etc. Eventually, she settled down and snuggled with me and the blanket while I did some writing, but she still would have preferred to have her freedom. Tsuki also enjoyed watching squirrels from the window and playing with straws.
Artwork for the week included:
I wrote some more for Creativity Chronicles this week! Feel free to check out the new art articles!
New articles include:
I celebrated all of my hard work towards Creativity Chronicles by watching the new special for The Owl House this weekend, and I was so excited by what I saw! Hunter was so happy, and it warmed my heart! He deserves happiness after all he's been through! They obliterated my emotions with what happened to Flapjack, though. It had me crying, but I think Hunter might not be a Grim Walker any more (it looked like his eye color might have changed, but I could be mistaken). I do hope that Dana and The Owl House team can create additional content, like Avatar: The Last Air Bender's comic series, since Disney decided to cut season 3 incredibly short. I'd love to see a prequel series about Eda's youth and about Caleb and Evelyn's meeting/journey. Plus, a story centered around King's father and the Collector would be interesting. Even if it's in a web comic format, I'd be down for that. I'm super pumped for the rest of season 3, even though it's only two more specials!
Take time for yourself and prioritize self-care and joy. Yes, it's important to make progress in your life, but if you're completely miserable and exhausted all the time, there's not much point. Life is meant to be enjoyed. If you feel like enjoying a lazy morning/afternoon/evening/day, then take one. I ended up unintentionally sleeping until 11:30 on Saturday and decided to stay cozy in bed until 10:30 on Sunday morning. While some people might argue that I could have used my time "more productively," it rejuvenated my soul, leaving me refreshed and ready to go. I didn't have anywhere I was supposed to be (like taking the boys I babysit to school), so I took advantage of it and took it easy. I savored the experience, and you're allowed to have your own moments. You don't always need to push yourself so hard. It's okay to rest and take breaks. Your to-do list isn't going anywhere; it'll be okay. Be gentle with yourself, prioritize your well-being, and have some fun. Live a life where you have no regrets because it's too short to be living someone else's life. Take care, listen to your heart, have a wonderful rest of your weekend, and stay blessed with love and light~
Food for thought from Ralph Smart on Infinite Waters:
Food for thought for the week: