These little tangles are the result of a class I took to make Christmas cards with tangles as the focus on the card. I haven’t finished any but I think I will try to and then mail (really??) old-fashioned snail mail to a few people. I haven’t sent any Christmas cards out in years. I think I may try.

I have been studying more on the Zen part of the zentangle. NOW DONT misunderstand me. I am not changing my thoughts on my Savior, I am a Christian. What I am focusing on is the deep connection of how my tense body is all the time, how is connects to my physical pain and shallow breathing. All of these things bring my more physical pain. I am also looking at how mindfulness exercises during my Zentangle drawing helps me to reel my internal conversations in and focus on what is important and what I am doing right now. I am focusing on checking my body tension, how I am holding my neck, shoulders and back as well as breathing deeply.

So this is the result of all of that talk above. I was in a 5 hour conference this week. The speaker was wonderful. I listen better when I doodle or draw. I figured this out in school. So I brought my micron pen and drawing paper. I learned so much on a topic that made me very sad and uncomfortable for 5 hours. Domestic violence and children. It is a required training for work. It was sooooo sad. But I survived and learned without much added pain by tangling for 5 hours. I shared my paper with my table mates. They loved drawing to cope to. Sure beats burning up my data on my cell phone.

And that leads me to another insight. I am trying to be online a bit less and living, laughing and loving with real people more. I have had some startling revelations about this both good and bad…. like I enjoy the company of people. I find out many people are not who I thought they were, and I am learning that I should try to continue my relationship in some way even though there are things there that make me uncomfortable in an emotional way. I am re-learning that not all people think like I do but surprisingly many people do. And even that the real unplugged world is still beautiful and full of people who are caring. It is worth the time and sacrifice to find out. Ya, Zentangle started that.

Now, don’t get scared…. I am not going to stop my social media or anything that well, crazy. But you may see me in the virtual world a little bit less.

Vicki