I am working away at my large piece and slowly it is developing before my eyes. I set daily and weekly goals for myself. Some I meet, others, not so much. If I miss a target, I try to double down and catch up. Sometimes that works, more often, I just have to face myself and admit that I have only finished a lesser portion. The things that interfere can be silly or due to laziness, but most of the time I am busy with something else, often my family. Much has been made lately about women "leaning in" to their work. As someone who has spent my greater adult life in a marriage where my husband's salary is what supports us, and my primary duties have been as a mother, I appreciate the value of leaning in to make a career, a life, a difference in our world. Rather than view my life in contrast to that, I prefer to "lean in" to all I do as I am doing it. My children are widely spaced, and so I have been engaged in the exercise of parenting far longer than average, and far longer than I would have anticipated. Like some of the working aspects of beadwork, a great deal of parenting consists of basic tasks done repeatedly, day in and day out. As with my large project, the repetitive aspects of it can be tedious. Which is why it is important to step back and see the bigger picture, both as an artist and as a parent, person. I cherish my role as mother and know that while I will always be my children's mother, they will become adults. The relationship we have will be founded on those days we spent together and the passion and earnestness with which we lived them. So, too, my finished work will be founded on the small stitches, the incremental addition of each bead, the reinforcement and support. I usually have more than one project going at a time. Perhaps I should realize that I always have more than one project at a time, as my life as a mother, wife, sister, friend, child advocate and citizen of the world are ongoing every day as well!