"The Hamster Wheel of Life" - Exploring in Sandy's book

I love Sandy's first sketch and her theme: The Hamster Wheel of Life.  At this time of the year especially, I often catch a glimpse of our calendar, my eyes bug out and I think, "Seriously?! It's the end of April already?!"  May is always a wash.  And then it's June, and I finally breathe and I promise myself that next year, I'm going to be better at guarding my time and being balanced. Sandy's first sketch perfectly captured the myriad ways our lives often get us stuck on that hamster wheel, and her (awesome) line "strive to be the toad" inspired my collage.  Sandy reminded me that I need to stop moving so much;  it is important to plant our feet, take a breath, and take in what is around us.  Whenever I do this, I am always overwhelmed with a feeling of gratitude.

My creation is a collage consisting of thank you notes received, thank you notes we've had printed (that's our lake up there in the top right - 25 teaching days away, but who's counting?!), and the stamps and paper we use to make our own.    I also used some stationary that looks busy to me, with all of those spiralling little wheels, as part of the back drop, reminding me to step off the wheel, take a moment, and be thankful more often.