A Year of Making Art, Day 239: Holiday Stress

December 14, 2007  Day 239

In this morning's drawing, my attempt at looseness slipped into sloppy--an assortment of lines that didn't want to work together no matter how I tried to coerce them:

   Drawing #244  12" x 9"

It is ten days before Christmas, and I'm planning to be depressed at that time.  Laura and Jim will leave on the 22nd, and we have nothing planned until January 2, when we are flying to California for a week.  I will try to work during that time, but I know there will be a letdown after Laura leaves.

Adrian and I don't really make much of Christmas or New Years, so they become dead times where you try to act as if it's a normal day, but you know it's not.  I think our son Eric has the right idea--he goes to Florida every year during this time.

For anyone who is bipolar or prone to depression, the holidays are typically extra stressful, whether you spend them alone or with family.  It's good to be aware of the potential danger, and to take better care of ourselves during those times.

(Note:  There is a gap between the dates I'm writing and posting in order to give me time to get ahead.)