I learned quite a lot today from an art class I didn't attend.

I learned I don't want to be anywhere at 9 a.m. No more. No way.

I don't want to spend hours outdoors in the summer heat with rising humidity.

I don't want to paint in a parking lot rather than in a natural spot just because my car and supplies are conveniently nearby.

I don’t want to spend the whole second day painting in the pouring rain or sitting in a classroom.

I don’t want to leave my dog Percy alone for hours at a time on multiple days.

And my aching feet have opinions of their own about standing and walking all over the county.

The interesting thing is that none of this means I don't want to learn to paint.

Sometimes we give up something we genuinely want because we've mistaken one way of doing it for the thing itself.

I'm still going to paint. I just need to find a way of learning that fits the life I actually live.

I framed my first painting.