Being off work since Christmas Eve-Eve, I’ve come to realize that when I’m away from the stress of my job my creativity slowly starts to creep back into my life. I begin to have a soul again. But more about that later.

We celebrated the end of Christmas with a two-night stay in Santa Fe. No matter what time of year I go, I’m always enchanted by its beauty. Although the weather was supposed to be windy (read: colder than @#$%!), they missed the forecast and we were blessed with sunshine, 40-degrees or so and calm! We didn’t expect the crowds that were there though, and found out from the locals that the week after Christmas is one of their busiest…but that was okay too. I really didn’t care. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

My only regret was not seeing any snow actually coming down. A storm was moving in from Colorado the morning we left. I guess that probably worked out in our favor, considering we were driving. I did get to see the white stuff on the ground while I was there, so that was a bonus. As we drove further away from town, I felt a little sad as the landscape began to change as we made our descent in elevation. Soon things wouldn’t be so scenic. Don’t get me wrong–I love my humble abode…but if I had my way, my little family would all be where my spirit wants to be, in “The City Different.”

I unloaded the 70+ photos from my digital camera and posted a Yahoo photo album here. One photo now resides on my desktop PC as a background. (See below.)

Back to remembering what creativity is all about. Growing up, I drew constantly. I think it was a way to “hide” behind the problems that were going on in my family and a way to deal with my own lack of self-esteem. An escape if you will. I even drew portraits of every one of the junior varsity and varsity football players for one of their banquets when I was in high school. I don’t have any idea how I did it.

After graduation, I drew less and less…until one day I just lost the desire. I started working the week after graduation. Coincidence that I should lose that creative drive? I think not.

I drew a few more portraits after that, the last one being in 2001. At that point, it had been about 10 years since I picked up a pencil and I wasn’t even sure I could do it at all.

Looking at the photo below that I took in Santa Fe, I began thinking about painting. I had taken a week’s worth of oil painting lessons when I was in junior high. After that, I decided that pencil was much more my thing. But now, I’ve got it in my head that I want to try painting again. Being appropriately broke after the holidays, I managed to resist that temptation…although I did look longingly at paint sets, etc. at Hobby Lobby this morning.

Must get back to the grind before I become a real person again!