Day Twenty

 Day Twenty- Colouring Recovery

It hasn’t snowed for a couple of days, thankfully. The shovels are leaned up against the wall and the paths are finally clear, but the work hasn't left me yet. To put it bluntly: I am sore. It’s the kind of soreness that settles deep into the joints, reminding me of every rotation and heavy lift required for that winter clearing.

I’ve reached for a different kind of tool to help navigate the recovery. I opened a new toolbox: a set of coloured pencils.

Today marks Day 20 of my 60-day "TrailBlaze Back to Health." It’s a deliberate journey of rebuilding, and this morning, that journey is happening on the page.

For years, I believed in the "Death of the Artist." I thought the girl who drew had been permanently replaced by the woman who carried the rucksack, worked several plots of land as a farmer, and fished the sloughs of the Fraser. I figured my hands were now meant only for grit, not grace. But as I sit here, navigating a body that feels "shaken" from the week's labor, I’m realizing that art isn't just a hobby—it’s a restoration.

I’m currently focused on:

 * Relearning fine motor skills: My hands are stiff and a bit clumsy, but as I shade the curve of a frog’s back, I’m re-teaching my fingers the delicate coordination that years of heavy labor tried to take away.

 * The Therapeutic Reset: Coloring acts as a grounding mechanism. When the physical body is in a flare of soreness, the simple, repetitive motion of laying down pigment quiets the nervous system. It’s a way to lower the volume on the pain.

 * Precision: Finding the exact pressure needed for a shadow rather than a shovel. Every stroke is a deliberate exercise in stability.

 * Presence: Finding that "in the now" focus I honed while living outside, where the only thing that exists is the task at hand.

 * Restoration: Bridging the gap between the "tough-as-nails" survivor and the artist currently rebuilding her foundation during this winter layoff.

The artist didn't die; she was just under construction. And in these quiet hours, on Day 20 of this trek back to myself, she’s finally getting back to work.