And this painting is one of my favourites
because it's of a pond I see almost every weekend,
yet this year it jumped out at me.
Higher Love
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
Barbara Muir © 2018
Wow I have passed 400,000 hits. Who could imagine that?Thank you to everyone who visits my blog.
To continue from the other day -- Dhyāna āpō, or pay attention
in Gujarati, connects massively to the second one thousand
things I learned in 2018. (This is in response to Howard
Wolinsky's suggestion that I write about 2018 things I
learned in 2018).
For my second thousand I'd say paying attention was my
big lesson. As an artist that means being on -- seeing the world,
and taking it in. My focus is the magnificence of nature at
the moment, and certainly more than 1,000 times this year I was
dazzled and in thrall to nature's beauty. At this time of
year the flowers have all died, which is why the brilliant
seasonal decorations that brighten every doorway and porch,
and light up so many trees mean so much. No matter what holiday
we celebrate, the point is bringing back the light to a
gloomy world. And we need to do that metaphorically too --
by caring.
Caring for one another and the planet is paying attention.
In addition to caring about what I see and want to paint and
draw, I want to be as kind and caring in every situation as
possible. Not always easy. But even if it takes 1,000 tries
I want to do it. And this year because I broke my wrist,
had my arm in a cast and a sling, couldn't carry anything,
and was in some pain from February -- to September,
I am grateful to everyone who helped me carry my books
into my class, including my students led by Pooja Chauhan,
and my dear husband who drove me to school when I
couldn't drive for 4 months, and helped me in every way,
and to the kind curators who helped me with my art.
So that is my second thousand things I learned, every time
I turned around. I learned to see the amazing sights surrounding me,
and to notice the thousands of kind things my students,
friends, family and art community do for me every day.
Have a seeing the kindness around you day.
6 comments:
Transcendent, the painting and your things learned. Thank you.
And congrats on all the hits!
Amazing post, Barbara :) Wow, 400 000 hits - congratulations!
Yes, kindness, it brings meaning to life.
This I rode the bus and the driver was excellent, navigated rush-hour traffic flawlessly with nary a pump of brake or gas, very smooth ride. That was great in itself, but then he did the best thing: he saw someone running for his bus, and stopped 1/2 block ahead of the stop to pick them up. Then he continued to the stop and picked up the people waiting there. So many drivers would have just let that person run all the way. It was very considerate, and made for a very nice start to my day and I'm sure for other passengers as well.
I think every little thing we do has potential to make the world better. I'm far from perfect too, but keep on trying. 1000 tries could mean 1000 things learned :)
xoxoxo
Verna
Thank you so much Laura,
Of course my blog has been going a long time. But yes that number made me happy. I'm glad
you like the painting. In some ways it seems that it's never been more important to
pay attention to both the world of art, and what's going on in the world. Your paintings
always make me happy. So wonderful!
XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara
Thank you so much Verna,
The story of the kind bis driver made me very happy. I can see the whole scene in my mind.
And I've run for the bus so many times, that I can feel the person's struggle too.
I'm grateful to Howard Wolinsky for making me think about this. I started to write out 1,000
things -- which would be a good idea, but I might not ever get anything else done while I was
writing!
Happy Holidays. I love your work.
XOXOXOXOXOXO Barbara
Lovely post, Barbara! I agree wholeheartedly.
Love the bus driver story, too!
Thank you so much Liza,
I would love to talk to you sometime. I so love your work. I don't know whether
you're in France or England now, but would love to see you.
XOXOXOXOXO Happy Holidays! Barbara
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