Winter came, the days turned grey, the birds left for warmer waters, and my hopes and dreams nearly flew away with them.  It has been so difficult to stay focused and hopeful lately, as the weight of the world closes down upon me.  The Daydream Nest Project has sat neatly tucked away, it’s tiny clay nests slumbering in boxes, unable to brave the icy weather, unable to be set free out into the world. The hopes and dreams that they contain have been asleep.  Stuck. Shelved. Perhaps it took me awhile to realize that in their absence, I have been absent.  Stuck.  My dreams put away on a back shelf. The responsibilities of the real world, the real job, the real money, have tried their hardest to keep those nests stored away.  It has taken everything inside me to wake up and keep on going.  I promise you, I promise myself, that I am going to open the box, and leave a Daydream Nest out in the world today.  Perhaps that little piece of art will remind whoever finds it to push on through their doubts, to keep pursuing their hopes and dreams, no matter the weather.