No regrets ... or as few as possible

Growing older is actually pretty cool. I find the older I get, the more I relax into who I am, comfortable in my own skin. I also realize that living in the moment is really where the action is. I don't dwell on regrets about the past or concerns about the future. (Not as much anyway.) 
 
I remember one of my very first jobs and the older woman who was my supervisor. When things were quiet at work, she'd tell me stories about her life, her travels around the world, her adventures. I was spellbound. I wanted to have my own adventures, travel to distant places, meet interesting people. Most of all, I was determined, from that point on, not to have any regrets in my old age. Well, I think we all have at least a few regrets if we've lived at all. But overall, I think I've managed to accomplish many of those hopes I had as a young woman. I have travelled to distant places, met and got to know some incredible people, and had my share of adventures. 

From the beginning I also had this dream of being a working artist. I mean I believe I was born an artist. It's part of who I am, but I had this vision of seeing my work hanging in galleries, of sharing my ideas with others, and belonging to the great collective of creative minds I looked up to and admired. I've mentioned before that it took me a long, long time to even call myself "an artist" as I just didn't think I had earned that right yet or paid my dues, if that makes sense. 

Today, my greatest hope is that my work "says" something, that the paintings speak to people. When I first started painting, I was occupied with capturing things as realistically as I could, to make beautiful things. As I grew older, my skill and priorities changed. My recent work over the last number of years has centered around the "earthlings." They came to me as a means to express what I wanted to say non-verbally, and I've focused very hard on giving them heart and emotion.

So, I finally accept myself as the artist I am. And I've got loads of memories about those places and people and adventures. At the very least, I'm content that I've tried my best. No regrets.