“The writer operates at a peculiar crossroads where time and place and eternity somehow meet. His problem is to find that location.” – Flannery O’Connor
The large X Marks the Spot painting that hangs in my living room, which was a gift to me from my artist friend Richard Sheppard.
A Silly Game
My mornings begin by walking my canine companion, Pepper, and then returning to my apartment for a cup of bold, cream-laced coffee, during which time I plan my day by writing down everything I want to accomplish in my daily notebook.
A painting my Wassily Kandinsky, an artist whose work I love.
The list is usually lengthy – and most certainly undoable. But, since I don’t suffer from OCD, I get pleasure in crossing out anything on the list that I do complete, and accepting that what’s left over makes a starting point for the next day.
Often, as I drink my coffee, I look up at a painting that was a gift to me from my friend Richard Sheppard. It’s titled X Marks the Spot.
My imagination asks me which X represents me this particular day. Do I feel energized like a red X, happy or giddily like a yellow X, or strong and determined like a black X.? I know it’s silly, but it’s a game I’ve been playing for years.
This morning, as I drank my coffee and looked at the painting, I thought of the opening line of an Indiana Jones movie in which the professor said “X never marks the spot.” But of course it did.
Then I decided that my X for this day would be the biggest black one I could find. It would represent my determination to keep my newly created resolution to write three hours a day. I’ve learned that if I at least mark off this item on my long list, I will feel a sense of achievement that will put a big smile on my face.
Blog pick of the day.
Bean Pats: Spiced Memories http://tinyurl.com/n3vsf7v and Wassily Kandinsky http://tinyurl.com/lx9ou9d I liked these two blogs because they sent me on a research mission to learn more. I checked out the photo on Spiced Memories, and found a creative spice commercial that was truly artsy-fartsy. And the second blog introduced me to an artist whose work has now made the list of my favorites, along with the paintings of Homer Winslow, Van Gogh and Emil Nolde’s colorful interpretations of life that goes on around us. The Internet is so much better than the encyclopedia volumes that my curious mind devoured before the world-wide-web became a daily part of my life.
Pat Bean's blog 
Good for you for being so determined about your writing!
Thanks Judy.
That sounds like a wonderful ritual. 🙂 Sorry I haven’t been around in a while. I haven’t seen any of your posts in my email or my reader so thought I’d better come by and say hello, and see if you’re still blogging. Glad to find you still here.
Good to hear from you Robin. I check out your blog often. Your fantastic photos always cheer me.
I always enjoyed making lists and crossing things off when I was young with a family. I should go back to it. Thanks for the reminder of how simple things can give such pleasure.
My day always goes better when I take time to plan it. But everyone is different. I have a neighbor who says if she puts something down on a list, it guarantees that it won’t get done. But I truly find it empowering everytime I drawn a bold line crossing off an item. Thanks for commenting Dawn. I appreciate it.
I hope your three hours of writing are fruitful
Me, too, Colline.
Love that X Marks the Spot painting!
Thanks, delightful parrot lady. I find it interesting what art speaks to me. It’s all over the place. The artist who gave this piece to me gave me a choice of about 25 drawings, and the moment I saw this one, it chose me.
greetings by
http://flickrcomments.wordpress.com/2014/07/26/wassily-kandinsky/
I love EMIL NOLDE too and some decades tried to paint in his style. Nolde is expressionism, Kandinsky’s painting was the end of impressionism mixed with Russian symbolism…
Thanks for commenting frizztext. Another one of my favorite artists is Louis Agassiz Fuertes. While much credit goes to James Audubon for documenting America’s birds, Fuertes depictions are much more true to life, and as a bird lover I could look at his work for hours. While I’m a writer and not an artist, I do doodle a bit, and have also tried to emulate Fuertes.