appreciation Archives - Page 18 of 25

May 30, 2012 In appreciation, life and the universe, philosophy By Patricia Saxton

On Being Authentic

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ~ Oscar Wilde

We hear a lot about being “authentic” these days. I feel like I’m witnessing a bit of a mass re-discovery that being yourself holds water. That genuine is valued over false. That individuality, not sameness, carries the day. And in my humble opinion, if people take these notions to heart, we’re going in a good direction.

But I will (hesitantly) admit that my internal radar is measuring a slight cynicism, fearing that it’s being bandied about (almost) as if it were something fashionable. A concept du jour. Hitting the target but not the bullseye. Skimming the surface. You hear it and agree that it sounds good, but what do you really do with it?

In truth, of course, “authenticity” is as real as it gets and is never out of style. It’s wheat grown in the open field and the stars that shine above it, it’s a homemade card or a hunk of solid gold ~ and it’s who you are, your true self, how you think, what moves you, what you do about it, how you express yourself.

It’s not glamorous or badass or cool. It’s not celebrity or dying your hair blue. It’s not about clever ways to show how unique you are; it’s about being real.

Maybe the real you is about originality, maybe even outrageous ~ but it’s not authentic if it’s contrived. You don’t wake up and say, “I think I’ll be authentic today, it’ll look great with my new shoes.” You either are, or you aren’t, no matter what shoes you wear. You know the difference ~ and others usually do too.

I think it’s a lot easier to get through life without pretending to be something that you’re not, and a lot more productive, too. So go be real. Just you, the genuine article, the real McCoy, the only you there is.

May 29, 2012 In appreciation, life and the universe By Patricia Saxton

A Beer for Frankie ~

I saw this on Facebook, and shared it there. It’s got something like a million and a half “likes” to date, all deserved in my book.

This touched me deeply ~ maybe just the very simple humanness of it. Sharing a beer with an old friend, a fellow soldier ~ what could be more natural? ~ of course that’s what you’d do, if you could. A bartender with heart who kept it there as long as she could. And seeing some of Frankie’s family members and fellow soldiers’ comments on the image, full of love. It just really brought it home, you know?

Rest in peace LTJG Toner, and all who have served us and left too soon.

From a bar near Borger, Texas: “This guy came in today and asked if it was ok if he left this on the bar.. I cried 🙁 I left it there until like 1130 tonight…. I didn’t want to pour it out but I had to. So I’m posting this pic so it can stay forever!!”

May 27, 2012 In appreciation, art, creativity, design By Patricia Saxton

For Memorial Day (A Plethora of P’s / #23: Principles)

“Who kept the faith and fought the fight; The glory theirs, the duty ours.” ~Wallace Bruce

– ♥ –

This one bears repeating….so, as last year, we thank you and we honor you, all the fallen ~ for your bravery, your love, your principled, unselfish courage ~ from the wells of our hearts, with a gratitude that knows no bounds.

………………………………….

Memorial Day, 2011, 2012

May 15, 2012 In appreciation, art, books, creativity, design, presentation, words and language By Patricia Saxton

Books & Magic

“A book is made from a tree. It is an assemblage of flat, flexible parts (still called “leaves”) imprinted with dark pigmented squiggles. One glance at it and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another. Books break the shackles of time, proof that humans can work magic.” ~ Carl Sagan

• • •

What can I possibly add to that? Except that I agree. And we humans can indeed work magic.

It helps, of course, to get the writing in front of a reader. Which is pretty easy if you’re dead and famous, or if you’re still among the living and happen to have a lot of fans. But if one doesn’t have a lot of fans yet, how do you get people’s attention; how will people know what wonderful tapestries your words have woven, what prose you’ve spun, what wit you’ve unraveled?

Ah, yes. The cover.

Many a good book is bypassed because it’s poorly dressed, just as there are those books regrettably dolled to the nines whose inner workings disappoint ~ but, by far, the latter has the better chance of some face time. Of course, you know this. Just keep that in mind, especially when self-publishing: your book’s cover should be given some serious artistic consideration, if you want your book to be seriously considered. (and, yes, I can help with that!)

In any event, the Sagan quote above got me thinking it was time for another posting of good-looking book covers. So here are some I’ve plucked from cyberspace to add to previous book cover posts. I can’t speak to their magical qualities, but the designs pass my test. See if you agree.

May 7, 2012 In appreciation, communication, design, graphic design, inspiration, words and language By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #56: Postcards

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

Postcards! Snippets of our lives captured with a picture and a few friendly words that tell someone we’re thinking of them. Except now… with instant email access from almost anywhere in the world, pictures arriving within seconds on our cell phones and exotic places available daily on tv, handwritten postcards are near extinction, relegated to “nostalgia”.

There was a time when it was a treat to send something in the mail from faraway places ~ maybe India or Paris or Jamaica, or from a child at summer camp “a million miles from home” ~ and just as much a treasure to receive.

Now, we’re home before the card. Or we’ve skyped from Finland. Or we’ve shared our stories on Facebook. The postcard is old news.

But this is also true: there isn’t one of us who doesn’t harbor a secret wish for a real letter in the mail. A real birthday card, a real thank you card, a real postcard. With real words written with a real pen by a real live bona fide human being who took the time to write … to you! There’s nothing that says “I’m thinking of you” more than a hand-written or hand-typed note. If you aren’t convinced, watch the sparkle in the eyes of a kid growing up on electronic communication when they see a real envelope in the real mailbox addressed to their very own name.

So maybe, just maybe, the new beauty of sending a card is actually its “novelty” all over again. And maybe, just maybe, the thoughtful, simple act of writing a note won’t go the way of the dinosaurs, not yet, not 100% completely.

By the way, if you didn’t know, it’s National Postcard Week this week. Every day, all week. So send some love out there!

(Of course, I happen to know about an awesome postcard book…! [forgive the brazen self-promotion] If you haven’t gotten one yet, my publisher has created an e-card set-up this week in honor of National Postcard Week, so you can send a smile to a friend for free. Nice!)

May 3, 2012 In appreciation, communication, design, graphic design, inspiration, words and language By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #55: Pretty

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

Pretty is a sweet word. Something light and graceful and attractive, maybe even delicate. Pretty is pleasing to the eye, to the ear, to the mind.

We think of “pretty” as feminine, but it’s not for girls only. Sure, we girls like to feel pretty, and I won’t deny that make-up or the right shoes (and definitely the right little black dress!) can give our spirits a lift ~ but one look at a soft pink sunset or a peacock’s feathers, or hearing the sweet song of a flute, or feeling the rhythm of a flowing dance … and I know that we all enjoy the pleasure of pretty.

After all, “pretty” makes the dusty bits of life a little brighter.

April 24, 2012 In appreciation, books, writing By Patricia Saxton

Book Hunger

I have loved, dearly, many books, of many genres.

I have felt the deep regret when a favorite book ends, the sad goodbye to wonderful characters that have somehow interlaced in your own space and time. I have rampaged to find any and every other book written by authors that have entranced me. I’ve been uplifted, angered, brought to tears, tension, laughter and joy, fallen in love with the way some authors shape their sentences and finely pluck their words into something superb, marveled at story lines, looked forward with vibrant anticipation to “next books”, learned volumes about different times and places and people, and been grateful for the experience, even if I hated to see it go.

But never have I felt actual withdrawal. Until ~ half reluctantly (because it’s my nature to shy away from any commercialized “hot new thing”) ~ I came across Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games series. Ms. Collins just may be a genius.

This is not to say my other favorite authors are not as penetrating, not at all. They are completely remarkable in their own right. But as a series, The Hunger Games captivated me in such a way … I can only think to call it spellbinding.

Now I understand why my daughter and her friends clutched their books WHILE walking into the movie theatre. Of course at the time, I thought, “Girls, girls, aren’t you so cute. It’s wonderful to see you feel so strongly about reading! But you can leave the book in the car, really, it’s ok.” Now, I know what they felt. (Although I will not be clutching my copies in a movie theatre, I swear!)

The odd thing is, it all ended in a pretty satisfying way. One or two things I might have changed, but it didn’t leave you hanging ~ well, just a tiny bit, but certainly not on a cliff.

It was simply brilliant. Perfectly paced, engagingly written fiction that seemed frighteningly plausible and possible. It was brutal but compassionate. I can’t wait to see the movie… because I haven’t had enough, and that’s all that’s left to do.

April 17, 2012 In appreciation, communication, design, graphic design, inspiration, philosophy, words and language By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #54: Purity

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

– ♥ –

A perfect rose. A flawless chord. Pure white snow. The softness of a baby’s skin. A child’s laugh. A cherry tomato plucked from the vine. Mountain air.

We all love purity. I think on some level we crave it. And it’s not just a nice concept for optimists, it’s something real and raw, basic and primitive. It’s untouched and genuine. It’s unsullied, honest-to-goodness simplicity.

Even in this increasingly technological world, this world of mayhem, madness and convoluted this and that, a world where a drink may say “organic” because one of ten ingredients may have actually been organic, a world that sometimes seems almost tragically impaired by impurities of all kinds ~ purity can still be found.

We find it in the new seed planted in the garden, in the bear hug from a loved one, in the sunrise. The just right cup of tea. The sparrow’s song. The rhythm of a drum. Wit. Wonder. Wisdom. In so many ways, it’s all around us.

Go get some ~ however small, however large ~ and give it your attention, and let purity wash over your spirit like cleansing waves.

April 15, 2012 In appreciation, art, creativity, fine art, history By Patricia Saxton

Afterthought to “Beautiful Paintings in an Unexpected Place”

I woke this morning wondering why I’d been so surprised by the artwork at the Air Force chapel.

Art ~ some of the most beautiful art, in fact ~ has been intertwined with faith and patronized by religions for centuries. Stories have been painted for eons. Some quite famously.

And then I reflected that many church structures are architectural works of art themselves, often filled with exquisite artifacts and outstanding craftsmanship.

And then, of course, I was forgetting that so much of art is spiritually inspired to begin with. Not necessarily a religious inspiration, but artists are often moved by spirit. And by that I mean that there is something that happens during the artistic process that transcends the every day “here and now” reality.

Whether the subject matter is divinely inspired, or the physical act of creating a work of art feels almost like an out-of-body experience, there’s always a point (and who knows how long before one becomes aware of it) where you realize it’s not your conscious mind guiding your hand, but more a partnership of heart and spirit. Call it what you will, there is something else going on besides you, the paint and the canvas.

Considering all that, I don’t know why I felt “surprised”. Maybe I expected something less grand because it was a military-based chapel ~ you know, as if it should be sparse, regimented, orderly, practical ~ until I realized that faith and war have also gone hand in hand. Soldiers need a sanctuary, perhaps more than anyone. A God to call upon, an angel or two on their shoulders ~ a way to feel there is something greater, larger, more knowing and filled with light to look to when their own feels dim.

And now that I have this all worked out, I think my reaction was more about the art itself. While biblically based, the art wasn’t what one might think of as typically “churchy”. And maybe the fact that the paintings were framed, much like they might be in a livingroom, made them feel accessible as opposed to otherworldly. Or maybe I just really liked their contemporary style, and their presence in a chapel simply set their reverence apart.

So I guess there really shouldn’t have been any surprise. But there was an unexpected appreciation.

April 15, 2012 In appreciation, art, fine art, painting By Patricia Saxton

Beautiful Paintings in an Unexpected Place

I expected to see fighter jets and smartly clad cadets during a recent visit to the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

I didn’t expect an intriguing, architecturally and symbolically impressive chapel, and I definitely didn’t expect art ~ especially the kind that’s inspiring. What a delightful surprise I was in for!

The works below are 7 of the 9 paintings created by Polish born artist Shlomo Katz permanently displayed in the Jewish synagogue area of the Academy’s chapel. (There are individual Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist chapels, all self-contained under one amazing roof of the chapel building).

Katz painted all nine pieces in a 9-month period, which is pretty incredible in and of itself. Each piece tells a biblical story, created with oils over a gold-leaf base. The effect is truly beautiful ~ enhanced by a marvelously rich color palette, wonderful artistic styling and a terrific sense of design.

I guess the only thing that wasn’t a surprise was learning, after the fact, that these pieces of art are considered a national treasure. They really are stunning.