Art for its own sake

This week, Madelyn and I did some watercolor painting at the table. Nate complimented my work and put Madelyn out because he did not comment on her work. This lead to a talk about looking to others for validation rather than doing something for the love of doing it.

Then Nate was recruited for the Christmas play at Center Park Methodist, despite his insistence that he doesn't want to be in front of people for any reason, at any time. We talked about giving back in ways OTHER than money, and that his being this character is giving back for all the snacks he consumes every Sunday morning.

Madelyn and I are learning to knit. Once I got the casting on and basic knit stitch, I just want to sit and do it. It's hypnotic. Madelyn is feeling a bit competitive about it, and she doesn't like starting over, but start over we must: we don't know enough about fixing our mistakes. We shopped for yarn this week and Nate even made a remark about wanting to try it. (I won't press it because his interests are fragile; the moment it becomes a "must do" he backs away like a wild animal from a trap.)