POISON IVY AND A VIDEO ON MULTIPOTENTIALITES THAT WILL MAKE YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT WHO YOU ARE

It's been a horrible weekend. Last week Destyni and I had a boho style photography session in a field here by the lake. We took a few pics of each other as well, and apparently I chose the wrong place to take a seat.

You see, I have a raging case of poison ivy that decided to crop up Saturday morning on our way out of town. My entire right leg is about twice the size it should be, is so raw and painful from the blisters and plaques, and I can hardly bear weight on it. I went to urgent care Sunday to make sure it wasn't cellulitis, because all the signs were there minus a high fever. The doctor took one look at my legs, touched the leathery plaque that has replaced my thigh, and went oh my you need a steroid injection. Yes. Great. I thought. PLEASE.

Until she found out I was still nursing. Then she changed her mind and sent me home with a worthless cream. I cried the entire way home.

Luckily Chris stayed home from work yesterday to help me out with Camden. Otherwise I don't know what I would have done. It was pure misery and hell.

I have such an amazing husband. He went out and got us a rotisserie chicken for lunch, popcorn, and a few movies. This definitely helped ease the blow of the hellfire that was consuming my skin.

I have been a blob on the couch ever since.  I know these pictures were the culprit. I must have sat/laid down right on top of some poison ivy/oak/sumac/satan like a dumbass.

Ok enough ranting about my skin and poor choices. Yesterday, my Zite app delivered this awesome article from TED talks that I just wanted to share with you. The video is embedded below, but if you just want to read the transcript because you're sitting somewhere you can't watch a video (ike sitting next to a sleeping baby/sitting in a jury/generally afraid of getting caught watching videos at work or while out to dinner with a spouse) visit here. It's an incredible speech though, so it's definitely worth taking a moment to read/watch.

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HURRAY TO GETTING LOST AT EVERY AGE

I get Quora emails that come across my phone every once in a while that really spark my interest. This morning this one came across and I was so moved with the answer that I had to share it.
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Q: "Why are people in their twenties anxious about figuring out their life and career?"
By Dushka Zapata

A: "I am 46 years old. By this I mean that I have been 20 and 25 and 29 (and everything in between.) I have at every age been "anxious" to "figure it out".

If someone asked me what these years have given me, I would say "Hello. My name is Dushka, and I am an expert at getting lost".  Fortunately for me, stumbling around being lost is the only way to accumulate the experience required in getting found.

Here is the big fat secret adults keep from younger people. 

Ready?

The age where you think you will have everything figured out never comes. 

It doesn't exist.

To more directly answer your question, people in their late twenties are anxious about figuring out life because everyone is convinced that happiness lies on the other side of "figuring it out".  Instead, happiness is now.

Figuring it out is supposed to be fun. It's why we are here. Feeling like you are the only person who hasn't is an illusion created mostly by yourself. Figuring it out is another expression for the pursuit of happiness. 

Happiness is not "when I turn 30" or "when I find a boyfriend" or "once I get a job" or anywhere in the future. It's within the actual pursuit. 

Resolve to make it an adventure.

Finally, if you were to ask me if it was normal/common to feel lost at 20, 30 and 40 I would say yes. We are all trying to find ourselves.  Here is why: finding yourself is a moving target. The world changes constantly. We change constantly. Once you find yourself you have to begin again. 

Hurray to getting lost at every age."

"MAKAYLA" REVEAL JUST AROUND THE CORNER

Good morning lovelies!  It's finally October! Hooray!

Actually I'm not a crazy fan of October or anything like that. I'm not the pumpkin obsessing, sweater loving, boot wearing, straw bale sitting, hot chocolate sipping, fall fanatic like most girls. I know. Here is my female card.

I'm just really excited because I'm about to reveal my next painting in the Paint Our World in Gold project now that it is October, and I couldn't be more ecstatic.

Makayla is a beautiful 4 year old girl who won her battle with brain cancer. Her story is inspirational and she is a cancer warrior who came out swinging (and smiling). Stay tuned as I post sneak peeks of her artwork and her story!