Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, that I know of, and I am looking forward to trick-or-treating with my kids. I have decided to go as one of my aliens and once again experience the fun of other people’s reactions, although I will probably look more normal than doing it in July!

Art is my home, I discovered at an early age, and sometimes come pretty close to what I can only describe as a kind of oneness. I have a high degree of control over pen and pencil so when I switch to color and other media, I feel a bit lost. However, I have felt the depth that color can reach and I have a plan. Shoring up support, inspiration, and a persistence of vision, I feel open to what may come. In the meantime, I can’t wait til Friday!

My son had his first sleepover this past saturday. Being only in 1st grade enlists a variety of opinions on a parents decision to allow this. What made it so easy was that it was at our school counselors house, who probably knows my son better than me, in some ways. So I had an evening alone with my 8 year old daughter.

She is so different when they are apart. She didn’t say, but I know she missed him, though she thought she was only jealous of him.

It sometimes is difficult to acknowledge the existence of such strong feelings in our young ones, but the saving grace is that these feelings are balanced by other feelings that we, as parents, must help shine through. I also felt the absence of him, but that space was filled with pride, hope( that good manners went along with his teddybear) a wonderful comfort in his first flight away from the nest. This is an opportunity I never had as a child.

Last week I pulled a hamstring during a warmup series and couldn’t workout for three days due to this and some stomach thing the kids had. So many obstacles- but then that’s what makes a good workout…getting over them. I like to workout about an hour almost everyday, plus stretching before and after, to maximize the effort. An hour running, cross-training, a spin class, or any of a variety of strength based efforts is enough time for body, and mind, and spirit to link up and GO! Achieving this, the time is spent training, and not straining. Those alpha waves are worth the effort. So is realizing when your body does need a break and not expecting more than it can deliver. We are only human.