Life
Katherine Delaunay
Memories of Dan

I’ve kind of been avoiding writing this stuff down. On one hand, I want to always remember Dan and how amazing he was, but on the other, writing it down forces me to sit with it. To remember all the good things, the sad things, and the things I can’t do anything about any more. As vibrant as my memories of Dan are, as admirable his passion, dedication, and talent were, he is gone and the future will give me no new memories with him. 

Memories of Dan
Katherine Delaunay
Seeking Sustainable Change

We’re creeping up on 2 years since I broke my leg. It’s a little frightening to think about how much time has passed and how quickly it feels like it went by. Even though the bone was mended well enough for me to walk without crutches or a boot in about 4 months, the rest of the year felt lost to pain and physical therapy. The past two years have been a series of ups and downs, but they’ve helped me define and refocus on what makes me happy.

Life
Katherine Delaunay
Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

I’ve come to the moment that every pet owner avoids thinking about. I avoided it so hard that I developed a mythology in my head that my cat was some kind of vampire who would live forever because he always looked so damn young and healthy. But over the past month or so, my cat Midnight has been telling us that he’s ready to go. 

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend
Katherine Delaunay
Reaching out
Katherine Delaunay
Kaizen

I really like the word "Kaizen". It is a Japanese word that means "Good Change" or "Change for the Better" and represents the idea of continuous change to improve all functions of an organization. It is a popular business philosophy that helps increase productivity using increased awareness and action informed by that awareness. The idea is that when changes (great or small) are made over time they can result in great improvements on productivity. While this is most often used as a business strategy, it's easy to apply this idea to one's personal life. It's been an helpful tool for me because I can easily become overwhelmed when I try to change too many things at once. This weekend, my Kaizen focus was cleaning and organizing my studio/office. 

Kaizen

Travel

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What a trip...

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This was a rough weekend for me...the Volcano in Guatemala City erupting, Tropical Storm Agatha flooding the country, mudslides and sinkholes making travel dangerous if not impossible, terrifying border crossing into Mexico, sleeping in the lobby of a closed airport and canceled flights. I am so very very glad to be home... When I've regained my mind after this really stressful journey I'm planning on writing about the various aspects of my trip in different posts since there is way too much to cover in just one post. I'm hoping to write about the Miguel Angel Asturias Academy, the mural we painted for them, the excursions we went on, traditional weaving techniques we learned about, the chaotic adventure back home and once I learn more about the need, I want to write about how you can help.

This was a very eye opening trip. I'm still in shock and being back home with all the things I've taken for granted feels very surreal. Things as simple as flushing toilet paper or being able to brush my teeth with tap water...hell drinking tap water in general feels weird. My first night sleeping in my own bed with my cat curled up next to me still feels like a dream. I can't wait to catch up with all of my friends and family. I've been very homesick for the past two weeks.

I'm going to start uploading my photos and hopefully start putting together a section of this site for the Guatemala Saga. Just because I'm home doesn't mean this trip is over. Now is the time to share the story and inspire action, and now the need is greater.

Much love to all of you, it's good to be home

Katherine

"I wish these Winter Boots were Walkin' Shoes too"

Birds by Brianna Lane, very very delightful song, sad and lonely sounding but really good. Quite appropriate for my mood at the moment. My friend is escaping the cold Midwest and going south of the equator, past the international date line and far away to a warm island on the other side of the world with little more than her bike, a tent and some clothes. She was in a tizzy today getting everything set and I don't blame her.

I need an adventure... I wish I was more brave like her...