LETTING GO

I have written and spoken about the importance of remaining open to change in our lives, of having the wisdom to recognize when windows of opportunities are open to us, and the courage to act upon them. It is easy to choose the comfort and security of the familiar rather than the anxiety and risks of the unknown or unproven. But we all know that without risk there is usually little gain.

The other side of this coin is knowing when to let go, especially if it is not in a direct trade off tor something new. This is the dilemma facing me now. For the past 6 ½ months I have been engaged in a “Pasta Quest”, cooking pasta every night we’re at home, trying to create a new dish as often as possible. I photograph the meals, and along with the recipe and a brief narrative, post them to my blog and to facebook. In the course of this time I’ve received considerable positive feedback, growing readership to my blog, and local publicity, all of which I have enjoyed. But all of this is not without a down side.

One of my routines over the morning coffee is to check Google analytics to see how many readers have logged in on my blog, and to look on facebook for comments on the blog and photos. On the days that I don’t post a new pasta dish on the blog I worry if my readership will decline. Suddenly the blog readership is obscuring the original purpose of the enterprise, and at a time when I’m considering the future of the Pasta Quest (Its duration, format, frequency, etc.) I’m worrying about the blog, putting the horse before the cart. Something is definitely out of whack. I should not be cooking pasta because I want to maintain my blogs readership…that is not what this is about.

I will continue posting pasta recipes even as I try to figure out how much longer I want to do this, and any changes I make may not even be obvious to others. But they will be to me. I will have more to say about this later. In the meantime, I hope you can enjoy the pasta as much as I do.

AND HOLDING ON…to these small drawings and my plans for a Gallery 5 show early in 2012.

Pastel pencil, ink, markers