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| 8/18/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood |
A friend, also newly widowed, gave me this book: Grief One Day at a Time: 365 Meditations to Help You Heal After Loss (Alan
Wolfelt). I read each dated page in the morning before breakfast (an idea I got
from her). A recent page resonated with the way sketching has long been my primary
form of meditation:
Being present in the moment is a difficult way of being to
master, but it’s worth working on. When you need a break from your grief and
mourning, try to focus on the here and now. Pay attention to your breathing….
Notice the people, objects, colors and textures around you. Attend to the
sounds you hear. Smell the aromas in the air…. While we will always miss the
person who died, focusing on the present moment can provide breathing space.
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| 8/8/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood |
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| 8/16/26 Green Lake neighborhood |
Sometimes I’m unexpectedly and suddenly flooded with grief.
It pulls me inward, where my entire past with Greg and my entire future without
him exist. After the flood recedes, I take a walk, which puts me back out into
the world where only the present exists. Attending to sensory observations is
essential for meditation, and sketching documents that attention: I observe
this, I draw this, here and now. |
| 8/19/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood |
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| 8/16/26 Green Lake neighborhood |
I like both of the color pencil sketches but the last one in particular. Something about all that dark purple. The book sounds like a godsend and I am glad you are keeping to the daily meditations. Your mention of sudden floods of grief, (I think I started to refer to them as landmines because they always appeared seemingly out of nowhere like stepping on a landmine) made me think of something I saw on Facebook recently and decided was oh so true: "Grief is very sneaky. A sound. A scent. A song. A smile becomes tears." I'm glad you've found your way of dealing with it. Getting out and walking, with or without sketching, is always good. <3
ReplyDeleteSneaky and quiet, indeed.
DeleteI have to say, I read your blog, not only for the great sketching, but also for the writing, and writing about your life and how Urban Sketching has helped in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Cathy... it's gratifying to hear you say that. I was, after all, a writer long before I became a sketcher, and writing is still my best form of personal expression (or maybe just the easiest).
DeleteIt’s a wonderful combination of writing & sketching.
DeleteSketching is so important and is definitely a form of meditation. ((Hugs!!))
ReplyDeleteThank you! <3
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