I’ve been watching a series of shows Ben Gibbard is doing live from his house over 14 days. It inspired me to paint live on Facebook while we’re staying home, socially isolating.

Instead, I decided to just film in private and see how it goes.

I was nervous, with the camera pointing at me.

Watching the video later, I was surprised by how fast I painted. I knew that I could do a painting in a short period of time, but somehow that didn’t prepare me for seeing how quickly I actually applied the paint.

It was the camera, I think. I didn’t want to be boring.

The first day, I used larger brushes, blocking in basic shapes of trees over a blue background I had applied the night before. It made me uncomfortable, seeing how feverishly I attacked the canvas.

I’ve noticed that I do a lot of things fast. I eat fast. I wash my car fast (there’s a timer on the sprayer). But I don’t think I always paint so fast! I keep saying painting is meditative. And it is. Or it can be when the camera isn’t on me!

I have a lot of anxiety, especially these days.

My parents have health concerns, there is a virus spreading, and because of this, I am concerned about my job security.

I think we’re ok on toilet paper.

I want to spend time with my friends. We FaceTime, and look forward to being together again in person.

Maybe this is the time to try something new… To make videos, and put them online. What if we all film what we do and share it with each other while we wait for safer times.

What if parents connect online, and support each other during this difficult and scary time? We don’t have to be experts! Just open and available for each other. I know I need this. Do you?

I thought of going live on Facebook today, but just videotaped instead. This quick painting was done with bigger brushes, and I am thinking of doing a follow up where I’ll put in some detail, and maybe add some fish.

Snowmobile Trail Grand Marais

Devil Track Lake

I always stress over messes in the house.  Things get left out.  The cat knocks things over.  Laundry  piles up during the work week.  More and more papers come in the mail.  A bowl breaks.  A faucet starts leaking.  The van gets dented.

I spend time cleaning something, and as soon as it is organized, it starts getting cluttered or dirty again.

From the moment of the big bang, the organized universe has been expanding and becoming more disordered.

Like my house.

I’ve always had trouble reading books. I love reading books, but it has always been a slow process.

If I’ve read a book first, and then they make a movie out of it, I’m usually disappointed with the movie.

If I’ve loved a movie before reading the book, then I will probably love the book.

The Princess Bride movie came out in 1987. My cousin Nancy introduced me to it not long after.

Have you ever wanted more Princess Bride? You can have it… read the book.

There is so much more to the story.

None of this is what I wanted to write about. It’s been decades since I last read this book, and I don’t think I got through it when I last opened it, all those years ago.

Something has changed.

It’s like the time I realized I could do math, after 50 years of believing I couldn’t.

I believed I couldn’t read like other people could.

I spent a lot of time flipping ahead to see how many pages until the end of the chapter.

It took me months to read a book.

Now, I find myself engrossed in the story, unconsciously turning pages.

It’s not a chore to read this.

The reason reading was difficult for me was not that I was not intelligent. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to read it.

The reason was dyslexia.

What changed? Why can I do math? Why can I stick with the words on the page? What has made reading so fun?

I don’t know. Maybe I am just a late bloomer.