Sunday, March 20, 2016

Malala and going back to work

If I win Nobel Peace Prize,
it would be a great opportunity for me,
but if I don't get it,
it's not important because my goal is not to
get Nobel Peace Prize, my goal is to get peace
and my goal is to see the education of every child.
- Malala Yousafzai

I love this girl.
I have nothing but respect and love
for someone so young,
so dedicated and so brave.
Unless you live under a rock,
you know that Malala was shot in the head
by the Taliban in October 2012,
on her way home from school.
She was shot - and survived.

Most of us would have gone into hiding after that.
Malala continued to speak out
on the importance of education for girls.
She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014
the youngest person to ever received the award.
This was painted rather quickly,
acrylic on paper
but i plan on doing a painting of her
on a large canvas eventually.
Can you imaging being so brave?
I can't.
I have nothing but admiration
for those who recognize when things are wrong
and try to make them right.

On another note,
there's been a slight bump in the road
for me lately.
I started working again.
Same place, same work,
but NOT ON THE PHONES.
When they called me,
I did some serious weighing of options,
the pros and cons of going back there,
but in the end, I said yes,
and I think this time will be different.
First of all,
did I mention I was not on the phones? ;)
I set my own hours, 
so i'll be working 7:30am to 3:30pm
(instead of 9 to 5 and sometimes 10 to 6pm!)
and the contract ends on July 21st,
so i get the tail end of summer
and the joy of being here for the fall.

Back in 2011, I had done a Vision Board (images above).
I'm still aiming for these things in my life.
Some have become my reality.
Others - not (yet). ;)
Doing a vision board was something
I had never done.
It was part of an on-line class i had taken.
I did the board, put it on my wall for a while
but eventually put it away & forgot about it.
When I found it the other day,
it cracked me up.
Especially the "ME" in the middle doing yoga. :)
(No, that's not my body. It's a cut & paste)
Seeing it again actually made me
want to do another one.
And I was a bit surprised at how many things
were actually part of my life.
And I believe that one of the reasons
why I don't feel so depressed this time
about having to go back to a job
that doesn't fulfill me in any way
other than the paycheque -
is because of the yoga & meditation.
It's helping me develop a bit more patience
and tolerance and acceptance.
Kinda like what prayer does
for a lot of people.  :)
And of course, 
knowing that it's temporary helps too. 
So I bought myself some new Sketchers
(no high heels for this girl)
and off to work I went!
David Letterman used to stack all his coffee cups
after every one of his shows.
As you can see - it's a wall of cups. 
Maybe I'll do this at work -
like a lifer in prison counting his days
with chalk on the walls. ;)
I know one thing.
I won't let that place get to me
the way it did last year.
The sun is shining
and every little thing
is gonna be alright. 
:)



7 comments:

  1. Welcome back to the world of the working class. At 74 you would think I would/should quit and I will maybe before I am 75 but I do love the challenge of keeping my mind active. Hopefully I still have lots of time to spend on art, later. I hope you enjoy it (and the paycheck).

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  2. I do love and respect Malala. The person (people) who shot her are simply low life cowards. She will do much to change the world. You are so busy especially going back to work. Make it a fun time.

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  3. Malala is a heroine, so wise beyond her years. To compare her with so many of our young women, many who plaster themselves on social media, I am ashamed. I am sure there are many who are just as wise and brave as she is, we just do not hear from them unfortunately. Great painting, I have wanted to paint her for a long time. You have inspired me to do so.
    Love Sketchers. I got some of those that have memory foam soles, so comfortable.

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  4. I just saw Bob Marley on another post! I think we all need to listen to his music. I wish you the best of luck with your new job. Malala is truly incredible. I haven't read her book but I totally want to. A great girl that has changed many things for this world and will continue to do so. She is brave and we all need to stand by her and make changes. I wish you the very best week!

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  5. I forgot to mention that you did an Incredible job with the portrait! I love the collages too! Your running shoes look very comfortable! I love slip on shoes. They are so easy to work with. :D Happy week!

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  6. Inhale, exhale, work, paint, earn money, spend it, be you, hugs. xx

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  7. I was here earlier but got interrupted before I could leave a comment...this is such a stunning portrait of this brave young woman. I always have trouble with the fact that this is even an issue.. 2016 and so many things are still so wrong... so sad. I'm glad you are choosing to embrace, yet take charge of this part of your life you find a bit grueling. Your attitude shines...and I think that really is half the battle. Love your sketchers and vision board... Good for you!! Enjoy all the moments you can....I am sure there is another artist in the mix feeling the same as you!!

    Hugs Giggles

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