Gwyned Trefethen's Musings

Coin depicting the ancient roman god, Janus.

Janus, the ancient roman god, is frequently found on doorways with one face on the entrance side and another face on the exit side. He is described as the god of transitions and time. I like to think of him as the god of endings and beginnings. The month January is derived from his name. January being the beginning of our calendar year.

With each New Year I, like many others turn to reflection and resolution. It is a time to look back on the past year, to take stock of my accomplishments and to devise a plan to move forward into the next year.  It is tempting to make resolutions, often health related ones such as loosing weight, exercising more or stopping smoking. However, the past few years I have made a different resolution. My resolution is to try something new each week. Sometimes this is a new item at a restaurant where I lean towards "the usual." Sometimes I experiment with a new fiber art technique. Sometimes it is a physical challenge, such as biking a half century (50 miles.) Doing something new takes courage. I am much more comfortable not breaking out of my routine and doing only things that I know I can do with confidence. However, growth rarely happens when one follows the safe, tried and true route.

One of the challenges I gave myself last year was to branch off in a new direction with my work. The result was "Beach Stroll." It combines two challenges, one, brushing up on my drawing skills and two, practicing my free motion quilting skills with my love of a print by Andrew Wyeth and the work of Mondrian.

"Beach Stroll"
by Gwyned Trefethen
33" H x 48" W

The idea of challenging myself regularly to get out of my comfort zone is not new to me. Eleanor Roosevelt is often sited in this regard. She recommended that you, "... Do one thing every day that scares you." There are many inspirational quotes attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt should you be seeking ideas or in need of a maxim to post where you can visit it daily.