Finishing up the year.

I suppose this will be my last post of the year. This past year has been a doozie for most of us, I am sure. It seems like it has been a long slog through media feeds and navigating toward some sort of 'normalcy.' It was unfortunate to make the difficult decision to forego attending a letterboxing event this year - I have hope that the next year may bring more confidence in gathering. 

I must give a special shout-out to Mudflinginfools (Kathleen) for the Year of Giving project; I am so grateful for the positivity and acceptance of that group of sweet-spirited, generous letterboxers. I had the pleasure to give and receive - often at times when I really needed a lift. It has resulted in many sweet spots of friendship through the months. And, who doesn't need that?

Carving and creating has always been a delightful respite from real-life pressures - I just wish I had more opportunity! You may have seen in my last post that I was fussing about a missing calendar grid - I am wondering now if I just cut it off the original stamp and tossed it - ugh! And, I had carved a few of the months as well, but was lamenting over the thickness of the lines. I have been diligently working on getting finer lines, and practice is affording some progress. During our last excursion (yes, I travel with my carving kit), I carved the rest of the year, so to speak.

all these stamps are less than 2" across
and carved on Tan-Z

Since I use the pencil-transfer method, the thought occurred to me that I was making the lines too thick even before transferring - no wonder the carved results looked thicker! Fine drawn lines equals fine transferred lines equals fine carved lines! 

To go with the months, I had fun playing with other images. 

holly scroll is 2" x 1" and the pumpkin is 1.25",
carved on Tan-Z

But, the real fun part is making them into LTCs. While I was enjoying playing with the stamps and ink, I let myself meander through past postals and LTC rings I have enjoyed, and all the letterboxers I have met and loved. I remembered the first LTC swap (Maiden Voyage) and how many LTCs have been created since. Nothing was better for me than getting a crazy idea for a swap, posting late in the evening to see who might wanna play, and then filling a tracker with with friends, old and new. I will always hold dear those years of frenzied creating and interacting with the AQ postal and LTC community. 

I probably remember it fondly because I felt accepted, respected, and liked - I felt like I belonged. Those feelings seem to be few and far between these days. Now, I generally stay away from the general AQ boards, and the facebook group is good for lurking and liking, but not so much for commenting. Even posting on my own personal facebook page can lead to conflicts and such, which makes me sad. It seems that strangers cannot agree about anything anymore, not even the weather.

some of the calendar LTCs I am playing with;
all one-of-a-kind

But, I digress. I want to end this year on a positive note, so I will quote the indomitable Wil Wheaton:

"... the only thing that ultimately matters in our lives is choosing to be kind. The world is a cruel place full of awful people. Don't be one of them. Be one of the people who lights up a room with their kindness when they walk into it."

Yes. Try to be that person, and I will try to be that person, too. And perhaps we will feel less compelled to push our opinions and judgments on others to make ourselves feel more important ... perhaps we will simply feel better because we feel accepted and respected. That has been my intention as far as I can remember, and it is still my intention for 2022. 

Hold your dear ones close. Hold to your boundaries closer. Watch that identity-building, it's a trap. Stay humble, and be generous with your patience and smiles - for you don't know the battles others are fighting and your smile and generosity could be the best part of their day.

Happy New Year!