Frost...

If you've read any of the interviews I've done about blogging, there's something that I bring up at least once each time and usually underline its importance: Consistency.  I'm not alone in this.  If you look up any others giving helpful tips on building readership and the like, creating a regular schedule of posting ranks pretty highly.

So... why have I broken this cardinal rule?

Part of that answer is simple.  I've been busy.  I've dove headfirst into nesting in our new home and setting up my studio.  So, whatever spare time I have is spent unpacking boxes and organizing things and rearranging things and repeating as necessary.

The less obvious and more esoteric reason is that I've needed a break.  I've actually needed a break for a long time, but I've felt the pressure of obligations to keep posting and phoning it in.  But that breaks another rule of mine concerning this little online journal of mine: always be genuine.

I don't want to say that I was being disingenuous.  But there was something missing and while there were kernels of good stuff, ultimately, it wasn't a true manifestation of my heart, head, and spirit.  Certainly there were glimmers of each aspect individually, but the trio was hard for me to tap into, because I simply wasn't feeling it.

At first this bothered me.  A LOT.  And then... I went for a walk.

It was still early in the morning and even with our unseasonably (and in my opinion, welcomed) warm weather, frost still glittered on the twigs and branches of last year's garden.  While it was a picture of starkness, I knew it was just sleeping.  It was resting after a profusion of abundance.  There's a price to be paid for an endless summer.  The farmer must let the fields lay fallow in order to allow the land to recharge and become fertile again.  While the frost looks cold and uninviting, it's necessary and it's okay.