Hawk

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Courage.

I saved this one for last - probably because I knew it would mean more to me at the end of creating this group of pieces than it did at the beginning.

To me, this word is all about doing something - not with the fear that I MIGHT fail, but with the full knowledge that I WILL. That failure might exist in the smallest of details or it might be the downfall of the whole endeavor, but the point is that that when I call for courage, I do so with the understanding that I’m not perfect and the world is not perfect and things will never go completely to plan. Sometimes that makes taking the first step towards anything new unbearably hard - but once I’m started, it has a way of keeping me going, too.

So - when I was picking and choosing animals to go with these many little mantras, Hawk let me know that courage was her word. I’ve seen her soar to great heights, riding the ever-changing wind currents to the level of clouds. I’ve watched her perched on a telephone pole, still as a statue but ready to dive headlong towards the earth if prey should appear. I know that there are times when a stray zephyr must try to knock her from the sky, times when the mouse gets away or she simply has to pull up from the freefall to avoid hitting the dirt. Honestly, there are probably times when she DOES hit the dirt. And yet - on she must hunt. On she must fly.

And as Hawk must fly, I must make. As I transition away from all jewelry all the time (to some jewelry and a whole lot of everything else!!) I’m going to be running on courage. Spreading my wings even if it means losing some feathers. I may still be scared, I may still be unsure, but I will carry on anyhow.
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Original watercolor painting (6”x8”) available Saturday, December 11 at 12pm Mountain Time!