gratitude
Gratitude is one of those words that are used so much that it often feels excessive. However, I truly feel that it’s the single most potent practice that can have a huge impact on anyone’s life. That is why I decided to dedicate one post exclusively to it.
There are eight steps of the Zentangle method, and gratitude (and appreciation) is a part of the first and the last step. Sometimes we get so caught up in the creative and artistic power of the method that we skip these steps. I bought a 5-year journal that has just a few lines for every day, perfect to use as a gratitude journal, yet I don’t use it. I tend to take for granted the little things that make me happy and writing it sometimes feels redundant, if not performative.
However, I was reading the comments under my Inktober videos today and I was overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude, so much so that I immediately turned on my laptop with the intention to write this post.
Inktober Tangles 2022
Now that October is finished, I went back to read my latest blog post. It was about setting the intention for Inktober. I knew that I would not be home for the whole month, that I had other plans and obligations, and yet I decided to publish a video a day and hope that I might inspire someone to take the creative journey with me.
After 31 days and 31 tangles, here is the photo of the finished Inktober project:
It takes time to film, edit and post videos, read comments and interact with viewers. Yes, I indeed sometimes wondered if I should have worked on video lessons from my to-do list instead. However, looking back at the whole experience and the heartwarming feedback that I got, it was more than worth it. I often feel so blessed with all the love I get from the Zentangle community, that I feel the need to give some love back. You can find all the videos on my YouTube channel.
I got many messages from people telling me how grateful they are for these videos, and yet I feel that I am the one who’s grateful to them. Being able to bring out such powerful feelings in each other seems like a perfect gift.
Accepting imperfections
My approach to this challenge was motivated by the need to keep it as simple as possible, and short enough for anyone to squeeze in a tangling break. The interesting thing about it is also that it’s in perfect alignment with Zentangle’s philosophy. Adding a new tangle next to the last one eliminates any possibility of giving up or deciding to film again in the case when oopsies happen. It’s just as it should be – you accept them and move on.
It is totally comparable to our real-life situation. Adversities happen, whether we want them or not. What can you do? In most cases, there is no “undo” option, so it comes down to accepting and moving on.
After Covid and those weird years behind us, this one is no better. Wars, global economical crisis, inflation, increasing divisions between people, all the talk about scarcity of resources… There is so much to worry and complain about. And yet, I choose to look back at it from a different perspective. Remember time spent with my family, feel happy and proud of my daughter’s academic achievement, be grateful for our CZT meeting and the Zentangle retreat, for all the lessons taken and given, and for all the love shared with the community.
I would like to thank you all from the bottom of me heart. When things get hard, I have to remember to go back to your loving messages and it’s bound to shine some light and put a smile on my face.
November, 2022
Written by Anica Gabrovec CZT
I don’t have a comment section under my blog posts because it’s really demanding to moderate them due to many spammers. Do you have any questions or remarks? Suggestions for my next blog posts?
Feel free to let me know by emailing me at info@zen-linea.com.
Check out other blog posts.