Archive | November 2014

Come Alive

The soul comes alive when we are doing something we are called to do……

A good friend of mine invited me to the Mint Museum to watch two women demonstrate pallet painting.

No brushes were used, only a single palette knife. There was one picture that they were painting of a red barn up against a blue sky. Each 30 by 30 canvas  was primed differently. One canvas was painted a dark blue and the other, a yellow.

It was amazing to see one picture being painted but two completely different visions came alive on each canvas.

One was a more impressionistic close up view of the barn with just a touch of sky in the corner. You could see all the knots in the wood planks and the shadows of the over-hangs. The other painting was bright and cheerful and you could see the whole scene.

Honestly, I was tired on my way to this event. It had been a long day and I felt drained. I was thinking about everything I needed to get done at home as I drove.

However, once I got in the room and watched the artists, something happened. I forgot about everything else in the world. I was in the moment as I watched the way they loaded the palette knife and swept them along the canvas.

During my drive home I thought about how wonderful they must feel, being able to do what they are passionate about for a living.

How wonderful and alive they must feel  each day as they create something from their mind and heart. It reminded me that even though I may not be able to do that full time, I should make a way to take some classes and nurture that joy.

What is it that you enjoy doing? What makes your soul come alive when you are doing it? What is stopping you from doing it?

I have come to the realization that we create the life we have, starting with our thoughts.

I want to stop thinking that I have no time, by making more time. I want to stop thinking that I am not talented enough by actually taking some classes to get better and learn new things.

Perhaps we must reach for the goal of feeling alive before we get to the end and realize  we did not make this life everything it could have been…

How Many Times?

I sit here today, as my childhood friend is in surgery and I think back to all the times we have spent together over the years. 

I think about how cool her mom was and how many times I ate dinner at her house when we were kids. I think about how many obstacles she has overcome. I am so proud of her.

She is one of the kindest people I know. She’s made a huge impact on me, yet I bet she doesn’t even know that.

How many times have I passed up an opportunity to tell someone how much they mean to me?

How many times could we have paid a compliment to someone?

How many times have we passed up smiling at someone?

How many times have we been petty about things that will never matter in the long run?

How many times do we judge others unfairly?

How many times do we worry about things that will probably never happen?

How many times have we said something hateful?

Life is a fragile thing.  Perhaps we can slow down and live life more on purpose?

How many times…can we make a difference?