As I walked into her house, it caught my eye immediately. It was unfinished, it was imperfect, and it was beautiful. In the corner was painting a friend has been working on of brightly hued homes on the banks of a multi-colored flickering body of water. It’s a portrait of the French Riviera and, when it was commissioned, she had no idea how she’d paint it. She’s never done a piece quite like it.

And now, in its current state of becoming, it is gorgeous. As she took me over to see it more closely, she showed me its flaws, but also the tools with which she’d move past them – fancy new pens her art teacher had suggested and a ruler that would soon be joined by a protractor she’s not yet purchased. She seemed positively giddy about the protractor; the word alone, for some reason, made me smile too. While clearly acknowledging subtle imperfections, she had found the tools – and the inspiration – to move beyond them.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been glued to my couch-turned-deskchair, part of my mind occupied with creating a plan for the next six months, the other impatiently obsessed with what we’ve yet to accomplish and sometimes overwhelming self-doubt.

Though constantly feverishly busy, I’ve felt like I’m standing still, mired in a thick mud of fear.

But the past few days have been different. Perhaps it’s the cooler weather that the first days of autumn surprisingly offered Florida. Perhaps it’s the arrival of my mom’s new puppy. Maybe it’s my excitement about an upcoming trip to one of my favorite cities. More likely, it’s the support of some pretty amazing reinforcements that have recently appeared to help.

So now, I’m doing the unstuck. Somebody hand me a protractor.

Special thanks to Avi, Jason, Ryan, Nicole, Laura, Tamar, Kim, Erin and LiquidPlanner, this rad software that’s offered free to nonprofits and is helping me move through my planning binge with significantly more effectiveness.