This is what it feels like to finish cancer treatment! I did it. I survived. I am humbled and ultimately a better person because of it. And, yes, it sucked. I am still a little angry about the whole thing, actually, but just a little bit, deep down where I hardly notice it anymore.

Now is where the fun part begins. I get to live again. I might not be base jumping any time soon, but I’ve started moving my body fast enough to feel my heart-beat again. This is a quality of life improvement that I am ready to fully embrace.

Good-bye 2019. I will never forget you, but I am soooooo looking forward to 2020 and beyond! In the spirit of all I am grateful for, I decided to give myself a home-grown storytelling challenge. I created a list of 52 words that express things I am grateful for that I wish to ponder a bit through storytelling. To mix things up in an unpredictable way, I’ve decided to pull a random (though I believe nothing is random) Animal Spirit Oracle Card to compliment each theme. I will be creating visuals and first draft stories for each pairing.

This is the list I am working with. For example, the first week was “Adventure.” This word was paired with cow spirit. The resulting story was about a curious calf who ends up on a hang gliding adventure. First draft complete and in the second draft process. Here’s the image:

I loved how the combination got me thinking in new ways. I mean really, there’s a good story in just about anything! I just have to learn to get out of the way and let the creative process work its magic.

The second week I had the word “Advocate” paired with the horse spirit card. Again, a story came quite easily as I thought of the wild mustangs here in Nevada. I thought back to when I was a little girl and how crazy I was about horses. This was an easy story for me to write. I’m still thinking about the visuals, but I did create this graphic:

I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up with posting the progress of this 52 first drafts project, but I will try. I’m also posting on my instagram page, btw.

I wish you a very healthy and happy 2020 and beyond!

May you feel wild and free, at least on the inside where it counts most.

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Available through my TPT site, this downloadable PDF activity packet features a few coloring sheets, imaginative prompts, a word search, connect-the-dots activity, matching activity, maze, and message to decode. A collection of fun activities for children who want to dive deeper into Baby D’s world! The packet is eight pages and includes an answer key at the back.