Maggie's Day 333 of Discovering Love in Empowering People

I like to make people happy. Today I managed to succeed at it all afternoon.

My job provides me the opportunity to empower people. When I do that, they are happy. All day long I heard, “You are good.” If I am, it’s only because the people I work with are open to receive.

When we remain open our world is filled with abundance. Right now mine is and man am I thankful for that.

I love it when people are happy, proud, confident and sure. I work hard all day to make sure those who enter my path get to experience all of that. Today I succeeded.

Maggie Day 332 of Discovering Love in Finding Warmth on a Frigid January Day

If I had a dime I would be ten cents richer. That’s a fact like so many others that really has no bearing on life. It’s just a true statement.

Fortunately, I have more than a dime of that I am truly thankful.

I was also very thankful today to be in my home while the rest of those in Louisville trampled through the frigid cold that hit hard and lingered long. It’s still lingering.

I loved this day and my part in it from beginning to end. A couple or so times I even took the effort to verbalize aloud how thankful I was for the life I live. I know others aren’t as fortunate as I am no matter how much they have.

My home was peaceful today, quiet. I struggled like hell to make it warm. I wasn’t so successful at that but at least I tried.


I heated up the huge pot of bean soup I made the night before last. I whipped up a batch of brownies just to have an excuse to turn on the oven. I put a dollop of bourbon in my afternoon tea in the hopes of warming myself from the inside out.

Maggie's Day 331 of Discovering Love in Sweet Clementine Memories

There is no reason for this entry to be particularly short but it is. I guess it’s kind of like me.

This afternoon I stopped in to say, “Hello,” to a couple of friends. In the middle of the dialogue that extended well beyond the, “Hello,” I was offered a bite of a clementine. I appreciated the offer but wasn’t interested in the sweet juicy pick-me-up of one of the world’s best fruits at the time.

Before I left my pleasant encounter I committed to myself that while I was at the grocery to pick up spinach I needed to pick up a box of clementines as well.

Stopping at the grocery was already on the agenda. I was pretty sure I would be the only shopper picking up spinach and clementines. With the approaching storm and near zero temperatures I was pretty darn sure the place would be picked over. The shelves of milk and bread bear.

I never did see what the supply or lack there was of bread and milk. Spinach and clementines were plentiful.

Maggie's Day 330 of Discovering Love in Making up a Hearty Pot of Winter-Time Soup

Finally, a day arrived where I didn’t have to be in the studio all day and all night. I was able to drive home before the sun set and hit my studio at home to complete my five hour nude drawing.

Before heading up to the studio I put my nurturing self to work on the making of a healthy delicious pot of bean soup. Somehow there aren’t a whole lot of beans in my bean soup though.

It appears as though the head of cabbage, bag of carrots, two stalks of celery and two slabs of ribs have over powered the beans. With the addition of a tad of seasoned sea salt I now have a most delicious pot of soup to keep me filled up for the next week.

I have no doubt that I will manage to lose weight while eating my pot of soup. I will undoubtedly burn off more calories than I consume and that is okay by me.

Maggie's Day 329 of Discovering Love in the Shadow Cast by a Tree

There are days like today when all I do is push myself because I know I have so far to go. There isn’t a finish line that I am trying to reach. There’s just knowledge that I am trying to gain. And there is an awful lot if it out there. Sometimes I feel as though it is alluding me. Today was one of those times.

I spent eight hours in the studio today pushing myself and loving every minute of it. Along the way I asked four different people for critiques. Three of the critiques I loved because they helped push me forward. The forth set me back and not in a progressive way.

One thing I learned is that I need to ask for help from people who know more than I do.

One of the young women whom I asked for feedback, the moment she opened her mouth I was in awe. She taught me that I know very little. Even less than I thought I knew. I am doomed.

Maggie's Day 328 of Discovering Love in Being Amazed

I’m a pretty humble individual. I live a relatively uncomplicated life. I strive to be the best artist I can be. I don’t expect much of anything in return.

At times I am amazed that people appreciate my work. It’s not that I don’t think my work is worth appreciating. It’s just that there’s a lot of stuff in this world to appreciate, so why bother noticing mine. People notice though.

My ego isn’t big. I hope it never is.

I will share with you that a smile tickled my face this morning when one of my students said, “Yeah, my mom saw your piece.”

The student’s mom holds a rather prominent position. I was amazed that she had scene my work. And further amazed that she even bothered to mention it to her son. Little miracles happen every day.


Afterwards I headed back to school where I was given yet another gift. One of my classmates shared with me that she and her friends were down town Friday evening and saw my sculptural self-portrait on display. My classmate’s friends were in awe of my creativity. She was proud to know me and to be working with me just as I am of her.

Maggie's Day 327 of Discovering Love in Letting my Creative Juices Express

It’s going on two o’clock in the morning and I’m just now sitting down to share this day’s love with you. Man, do I ever pack it in.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m crazy. Then I decide that I’m not. I’m just passionate.

Sometimes I wonder how I’m ever going to make it through the weekend or even the next day. Before I know it the weekend is gone and the day has passed and the work is done.

I do believe this weekend I performed a miracle. Tomorrow I will know.

It appears as though my sculptural self-portrait that went on exhibit Friday for the First Friday Trolley Hop was an absolute success. People are still talking about it and not just to me. People like the way I think. I like the way people appreciate my work. Life is good.

Then I worked almost twenty hours for my day job only to spend my nights drawing a self-portrait in charcoal, three foot by three foot. It’s not that I’m square. It’s just that that’s the size paper I used.

Maggie's Day 326 of Discovering Love in Just Staying in the Moment

On New Year’s Eve a young man who is a senior in high school said to me that he wished I was his aunt. My response was, “I am. I’m your Aunt Maggie,” because that is how he has addressed me for the past twelve years of his life.

Spence’s response was, “No, I mean like a real aunt that would be at all my family events.”

I responded, “So, invite me.” Let’s see what happens.

That conversation had been forgotten until today.

This morning while I was working I encountered a little three-year-old girl and her big five-year-old brother. She had a doll in her hands. He was looking out for her while their mother stood about two feet away speaking to a store attendant.

I engaged in a conversation with the two kids that was totally entertaining. I had no idea what was happening. I was just having fun and hoping I was administering some good will towards my company. I was wearing a shirt with the company’s logo on it.