Year: 2015

Brain Surgery and Zentangle

Beep… beep… beep… “Breathe Christine, come on you have to take a breath” beep… beep… beep… “Christine, you HAVE to breathe!”  beep… beep… beep… I just want to be left alone to sleep. Don’t make me try to breathe, it hurts.

That was three years ago this month. I’d had a brain tumor (benign) for a few years but started having odd symptoms that I couldn’t explain. My doctor scheduled an MRI. The results showed that the tumor had grown double in size and was in an area of my brain that would cause seizures if it continued to grow. The recommendation was to take it out.

There was a good chance I could die. I wanted a family picture before I went in for surgery. I was afraid that would be the last image they would see of me.

After surgery my motor skills were virtually non existent. I couldn’t pick up small objects with my fingers. I had difficulty with hand eye coordination. For someone who is on a keyboard for a living, this is not good. I asked for some cheerios. I poured some out on my tray table and kept practicing picking one up, putting it in a container, picking up another and putting it in the container. I would do this over and over again until I was too tired to do it anymore.

Brain Surgery Staples

Recovery was difficult. But I am very lucky. Some of the people that have had this same surgery have been left unable to form let alone retrieve words, unable to walk without assistance and unable to care for themselves.

I discovered Zentangle through a series of amazing events. It still blows my mind to imagine how much I needed Zengangle in my life. (you can read more about it here http://bossycow.net/zentangle-discovery-2/) I suffer from headaches on a daily basis. The process of Zentangle has allowed me to get away from the pain. I find myself in a zen state of relaxation all because of the Zentangle method. I’m thankful every day for the Certified Zentangle teacher who gave me the opportunity to do something that helps me heal. I want to become a Certified Zentangle teacher so that I have the credentials and ability to teach others who have been in the same or similar circumstances as me. I’ve started a GoFundMe campaign so that I can do just that. https://www.gofundme.com/czbq84v5

Zentangle is the one thing that lets me focus and just breathe.

Dream Dancer

Dream Dancer – a new Zentangle pattern came to life while I was trying to fall asleep. As I was trying to fall asleep one night, somewhere in between being fully awake and asleep, I pictured this pattern. I grabbed my notebook and drew it out. One of the variations looks like a dancer to me. That’s how the name came about. It is a simple pattern with a lot of options. I had fun with it in my sample, using two variations and putting it in a grid. I’d love to see what you do with it. Feel free to comment and include a link to what you’ve done.

DreamDancer

My Essential Oil Journey

everyday-oils

In September 2014, I signed up to be a distributer for Young Living Essential Oils. Now I can’t imagine my life without oils. I’m currently sitting at my desk with a bottle of water that has a few drops of grapefruit, lemon and orange oils. It is like having a treat. Don’t get me wrong, I like plain water but there is just something about having oil infused water that just lifts my spirits.

There is a longer story to the way I got involved with these oils but that will have to wait until another day.

Zentangle Discovery

I first discovered Zentangle quite by accident.

In December of 2012 I had brain surgery for a benign brain tumor. Two months after that surgery I was re-admitted to the hospital with a subdural hematoma. Following each surgery, I was advised by my doctor to take breaks away from the computer often during the day. He suggested doing something where a screen wasn’t involved. For a web designer/developer who reads on an e-reader that makes things a little difficult. I picked up my old sketchbook from when I went to the Art Institute and just stared at it. Nothing came to me. I set it back down and played around on Pinterest. It was there I discovered a pin of cute patterns drawn on rocks. I started using ink in my sketchbook to make my own rocks. I drew different shapes and used some of the patterns I saw online as well as some I just made up as I went along. It took me completely out of the world and muted any noise or distractions around me. Wow, what a relief to my overtaxed brain.

It wasn’t until late December of 2013 that I found a Zentangle book at Barnes and Noble. This led me to discover Tangle Patterns online. I decided that I needed to find the “right” way to do this and wanted to take a class. I looked up CZT teachers in my area and saw that there were two. I was leaning toward one of them but made no attempt at contact. Then my friend Beth encouraged me to post some of my tangles on facebook, this is a big thing for me as I have a hard time putting my stuff out for others to see. Later that evening my high school friend posted on my board introducing me to her friend Karen, the CZT that I had been leaning toward for a class! I emailed Karen that evening and was able to go to one of her classes. I LOVED it!

I do Zentangle whenever I need a break, or just some time to get rid of stress. I once lacked the confidence that I could create something beautiful with paper and ink. Now I’ve found that when I get out of my environment and into the zone, I can.