“Time heals all wounds and gives a scar to always learn from.” – Marty Coleman
No matter the wound, if it heals, a scar will remain. Funny enough sometimes the scar will be almost imperceptible when you are young, but as you age it will show up more an more.
I fell off the top bunk when I was 10, hitting a dresser on the way down and getting 10 stitches on my brow/bridge of my nose area. That scar is now one of my age lines, wasn’t even there for about 25 years, then started to show itself. I like it because it reminds me of getting to stay up late that night after coming home from the hospital and watching Johnny Carson on TV. I didn’t learn much from it, but to keep the guard rail up on the bunk bed.
Other scars I learned a lot from. I was burned on 70% of my body when I was 18 years old. I have a LOT of scars from that little mishap. I am not always thinking of lessons when I think about them, but often I do.
Scars are physical memories and as such can teach us lessons from our lives, new lessons each time we consider them.
“A hole is nothing at all, but you can break your neck in it.” – Austin O’Malley
You know, the most dangerous holes aren’t the obvious ones with sharp edges and a straight vertical drop, those you can see pretty easily.
The ones I get caught in (and sometimes break my neck in) are the ones that seem to be just a gentle decline, you don’t evenknow you are getting in a hole at all. But soon enough you are init. The climb out is not fun and you are beating yourself up the whole time for, once again, getting in a hole you should have avoided.
My solution? Wear a helium pack on your back at all times.Either that or work like hell to be aware and avoid being stupidand easily tempted. Helium sounds easier to me.
“Pay attention to what you see, not to what you know about what you see.” – Marty Coleman
What we know about something can often get in the way of seeingit. We see a figure in a drawing class and we know many things. We know: nude, naked, skin, body, human, woman. All those havedefinitions that come with you when you see that person standing there. They are the filter through which you see her.
But they are also in the way of you seeing her. Do you see her body language, embarrassment, humor, age, color, angle, happiness, history, the space around her?
This doesn’t just apply to artmaking of course. How do you see yourchild? Your co-worker? Your backyard? Your city? Do you let the definitions that come easy and you know decide what yousee? How do you go about seeing with fresh eyes?
“People travel to faraway places to watch in fascination the kind of people they ignore at home.” – Dagobert D. Runes
I love to travel and am looking forward to getting back to Europe next year maybe. I remember visiting for the first time in 2003 and realizing how interesting people were, on the bus, at the beach, in the B&B or cafes. Then coming home and seeing that, if I just paid attention, there were interesting unique people and things in my home town as well.
I haven’t spotted mechanoman (see above) yet, but I will introduce myself if I do!
“Living with a saint is more grueling than being one.” – Robert Neville This is one of the original napkins I put in my daughters’ lunches. You can see the difference in drawing style and detail, but the ideas are still in the same vein.
I remember my college roommate and I went on a skiing trip with our church group and one of the young leaders was this saint of a guy. He was happy, courteous, positive, intellectual, kind, funny, helpful, yada yada yada. We liked him quite a bit. By the end of the trip we made sure we didn’t sit anywhere near him on the way home though since we felt like we were in the presence of a cartoon saint with nothing we could relate to.
Portrayals of Jesus that way always made me feel far away not at all interested in knowing more. Portrayals that brought out his humanity and his every day normalcy, while still being a loving and cool guy made me want to find out more and listen to what people said he had taught.
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” – Samuel Johnson
Ain’t this the truth. Think of all the people who have said ‘I didn’t know I would get addicted’ or ‘I always thought I would stop when it got to be a problem’ or any number of other things we can say to explain how we got trapped.
With me it was alcohol. I quit drinking in 1993, long ago. In some ways I was lucky, in that my mother was an alcoholic and my father probably was as well and we lived through hell because of it. As a result I didn’t have the luxury of ignorance when I was older. I knew what I was doing and where it would lead. So, I quit and didn’t look back. I haven’t missed it and don’t regret the decision in any way. Life after that habit wasn’t as scary as I had imagined, and indeed was much better and fulfilling, not to mention safer and healthier.
So, if you struggle with a habit that you want to rid yourself of, take a chance, call a moratorium on it for a day, or a week. See what happens. Try it again the next week. Add something new to your life, join a club, eat a peach, whatever.
“Healthy children will not fear life if their elders have integrity enough not to fear death.” – Erik Erikson
I went to my exhibition yesterday to have two interviews about the show. The first reporter/blogger, Natasha of Tashadoestulsa.com called and said that both her son and herself were under the weather and she would have to reschedule. There has been a lot of weather to be under around here lately. We had about 6 straight days of rain at that point.
I had brought my markers and napkins so while I waited for the second reporter I drew today’s napkin. I was inspired by Tasha to think about children and found this quote that really hits at one of the age old ways in which we pass on strength and courage to the young. We show them we are willing to face whatever befalls us, the ultimate befalling of which is death.
I haven’t faced that for myself yet, but I have witnessed a number who have. this is a thank you note to Vivian Johnson and Connie Graham, my two successive Mothers-in-law, who passed away with more courage than fear, and more faith than doubt. I appreciate them and how they showed their children and grandchildren how to have courage in life.
“A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.” – Rabindranath Tagore
I know this one is a bit creepy but the quote had knives and blood in it, what was I going to do? But there is a truth here. The truth is that logic is a step-by-step process of thinking through a problem, not a way of life or the exclusive method for interpersonal relationships.
You ever come across that person who gets irate if you don’t comprehend and go along with his or her logic? I used to be that person. I am still that person some times. I thought I was right. I had my reasons. They were good reasons. My arguments made sense. But the other person didn’t agree, didn’t see, didn’t understand, or plain didn’t care. grrrrr.
It wasn’t until I went through marital counseling with my now unwife that I realized the difference between trying to win an argument and trying to win someone over. I had always just been thinking the logic of the argument was enough. After the counseling I realized that the argument wasn’t what was important, my wife was who was important.
Just as a side note, it was ironic that the best, most real communication we had as a couple was in the final year of our marriage. It didn’t save our marriage but it did teach us both great lessons on how to communicate and care for the feelings and thoughts of another person. I am better for it and am grateful I went through it, even though the cost was high.
