Thought I’d share a few paintings that came out of my Kenyan experience several years back. More haunt my mind and lurk in my paintbrushes, but there are so many paintings to paint and so little time…
“The sail, the play of its pulse so like our own lives: so thin and yet so full of life, so noiseless when it labors hardest, so noisy and impatient when least effective.” ~ Henry David Thoreau
Seems that summer was only lazy when we were little. School was out, one day spilled into the next in a stream of endless popsicles, watermelon seed-spitting, some bike riding, swimming and even a touch of boredom.
Now that we’re all grown-up and responsible, many of us yearn for a few lazy days where neither work nor bills nor laundry makes demands.
Yearning may serve a purpose I suppose (like fueling the fires to change things up), but if we look around, we can also find inspiration at every turn. A day off here and there, a simple walk, even just conjuring up a lovely, breath-of-fresh-air mental image can supply new vigor to the withering workaholic who “must go on”! Not as effective as a month by the sea, I admit, but effective nonetheless ~ so that we can be more like the sail that labors best.
Lest we forget July’s other holiday ~ it’s National Ice Cream Month! So treat yourself. Treat someone else. Celebrate well!
Ice Cream. Just the mention of it makes eyes light up. And for the month of July you can honor its pure, refreshingly delicious peace-giving goodness with guilt-free extra servings. Although I personally feel that “guilt” and “ice-cream” should never appear in the same sentence, I know some of you think ice cream is a likely culprit for that extra pound or two. In reality, what ice cream adds is cheer.
So dig in, scoop it up, slather on your favorite topping or have it au naturel ~ the thing is to enjoy this smile-breeding treat!
ps: What’s your favorite ice cream? I’m pretty passionate about mint chocolate chip and coffee. How about you?
A friend posted this video the other night. It had the unusual effect of actually lifting my spirits (which until then, I hadn’t realized needing lifting ~ although, considering the past few weeks of planning a funeral and being consumed with worry over the Colorado fires where I have family smack dab in the line of Mother Nature’s wild ride, plus a dear friend moving away, along with the usual work/life/home/bills/meals/laundry/parenting, I suppose it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see that, well, maybe I did).
Watching these musicians, all of them great, stirring up this great big crowd with the simplest of songs ~ the energy was palpable, even on a computer. It had me smiling. Ah, yes. “All we need is love”…. from time to time I truly believe that.
But sometimes we also need an entertainment break. You know, to give the overactive mind a rest and put a temporary halt to the to-do’s. I try, I really try. Trouble is, I’d usually rather be doing something creative, even in my downtime ~but, next to a good book, I do love a good movie. The kind that captivates, takes you away, where there’s no room for remembering the dirty dishes in the sink.
So just the other night a movie was decided upon. (Not always an easy task itself.) Then we discover that it’s not “on demand”; so we try “redbox”. It’s not there either. So I finally bite the bullet and register for Netflix, which I’ve wanted to do for a long time anyway. I’m excited now, not being a “watch TV” kind of person, knowing the relatively teeny investment will be well-spent on entertainment I might actually use.
Then comes the realization: I still have an old-fashioned TV. A step or two up from the rabbit-eared kind. Which means I can’t access my new-found entertainment unless I’m on the computer. I don’t want to watch a movie on a computer. I want to get away from my computers.
So I call the Netflix people. Turns out there’s a way I still can watch on my antiquated set, because we have a Wii! Oh boy! “Is it complicated?” I ask. “Oh, no! It’s easy, I can talk you through it!” says the very cheerful voice from Netflix. (Really cheerful – he must be from the midwest.) Unfortunately wires and I don’t get along (which reminds me, I am so happy to be living in a time period where ‘wireless’ exists!) so I enlist the help of my daughter, who became frustrated almost immediately, and I tell the guy I’ll call him back. Oh, he can email me the instructions? “Even better”, I say, “how nice!”
By this time, though, I’ve had my fill of spontaneous adventure, and retreat to a book. But I’m still unsettled. So the next day I throw caution to the wind and decide to fully join the 21st century by getting an HD (High Definition) TV, because I remember the prices have gone way down from a few years ago. And then I can watch movies from Netflix.
Of course I’m now faced with the Plasma, LCD, LED dilemma. (Not even considering the 3D road.) This brand, that brand. Everybody has an opinion. Good grief already. And, of course, an old cable-tv box will need to be traded in for a new HD one, and there’s a fancy new cable – but it’s so much easier and better! And, you know, I’m sure it will be when all is said and done.
It’s just that, please, all I wanted to do was watch a good movie. If I’d have lived in another time, I’d have walked over to hear the storyteller. It shouldn’t be so complicated. (But it is. Like travel. Don’t get me started on that one…)
And so I remind myself, all you need is love.
And Netflix.
And maybe a garden, and chocolate, and pencils and paper and paints, and a villa in Tuscany. (I have to sell a lot more books for that to happen, though I’m sure you would agree that Tuscany would suit me well, yes?) And time. But of course “time” is an illusion..
Wow. I need a vacation. Guess I’ll settle for a movie. Watched, lovingly, on my old tv (for now).
“Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. And love everything you love, and every one you love, with all your might.” ~ David McCullough, Jr., English teacher, from his Wellesley High School Commencement Speech
Wise words. Inspiring words. Yet apparently McCullough’s speech to the 2012 graduating class of High School seniors caused a fuss ~ because, in the speech, he told the students that they were “nothing special.” But if you listen (and I recommend that you do), many of you, like I did, will wonder what the controversy was all about.
Are we so coddled and inattentive that we get sidetracked by dissecting the minutia of a few phrases without hearing the full context of truth and wisdom?
Maybe the shame here is that it took the raising of eyebrows to make it to a broader audience. It’s outstanding. Bravo, well done!
If you want more on this, there’s a great editorial write-up about this video here.
“Train your brain, and create ripples of positivity… ”
Unlike the stereotype of a brooding artist/musician/writer, whose greatest work comes on the back of depressing events, I’m with Shawn Anchor that happiness inspires productivity.
Anchor’s TED talk is entertaining, articulate and wise ~ and makes you feel good at the same time. A must listen!
“If we change our formula for happiness and success, what we can do, is we can change the way we can then affect reality….”
This little fellow is hoping for sunshine. Or maybe he’s up early looking for that first worm. Or could be he’s getting a little bored waiting for the rest of the book to be finished (the one where he has a starring role)…. after those silly dragons have their day in the sun, of course.
(With a few word substitutions, not such different wishes than some of our own, eh?)
Ah, spring ~ full of hopes and dreams, delights and newnesses (even a new word for you) ~ happy first day of it!
Dear Clients, I’m planning to take the rest of the afternoon off. I hope you don’t mind ~ in fact, I think you should too, and here’s why:
My God, what a gorgeous day! The windows are flung open wide, the sun shines, the air is warm and breezy. Birds chatter, daffodils open, kids walk home from school, sweatshirts abandoned.
Spring is everything delicious. Everything new and reborn. Really it is ~ because it’s not as though we’ve never seen a daffodil before, but when they bloom each spring there’s a thrill of delight as if it were the first. And when we spot a robin, as if it were a strange and unusual creature, we shout like children, “look – a robin!”.
Our heart feels lighter, our hope expands. A beautiful day like this reminds us that life always chooses to look up, to grow towards the light and surprise us with a million ways to shine, no matter what.
And all that warrants some time out ~ enjoying this early gift from the fickle month of March, for the winds could change tomorrow!
