listening deeply and quiet challenges -- this month's make & do

I've been thinking a lot about Make & Do and what my challenge for February should be. I'm not at a loss of ideas. I have ideas coming out my ears. There are too many, actually. Yes, I want to work on calligraphy. Yes, I want to sew up some new clothes (especially lounge pants to replace the flannels that just sprouted a rip). Yes, I want to work on filling up my new little book with plant sketches. Yes, I want to make lip gloss and another batch of soap... I want to do all of those things and more. But this overabundance of ideas and inspiration does not help me to focus. And although I guess focus wasn't really the point of my Make & Do challenge, focus is something I seem to be craving. I think it's important to listen deeply to what we think and feel, to what our spirits are telling us. To what our bodies are telling us. We know deep down what it is that we need.

The other day I wrote about balance, about shifting my priorities, about how I realize I need to paint more and do other stuff less. And so as I have been pondering my monthly challenge and striving for balance I realized that my choice is simple. This month needs to be about focusing on painting. My challenge for the month is to put aside all those other ideas that are jumping up and down saying "pick me, pick me!" and I'm going to paint.

I'm craving focus. I'm craving simplicity. I'm craving serenity (to borrow Simone's word for the year). And I'm craving paints and brushes and paper.

What about you? Is there something you'd like to tackle this month? Something on which you'd like to focus? Something you'd like to try? It doesn't have to be big. It doesn't have to be all encompassing. It doesn't need to be month-long. It just needs to be intentional and it needs to answer a  craving in your spirit. Are you feeling it? I'd love to hear about it.