Saturday, May 10, 2014

Art teaches nothing,
except the significance of life.
- Henry Miller
hello everyone!
it's so good to be back.
I am finally done my office job
and my days are open once again
to be filled with art
and quiet coffee
and good music
and space for breathing.
I have been reminded these past few months
of something rather important in my life:
I value freedom far more than i value money.
I value time far more than i value things.
I am not a material girl. 
I have little patience with routine and boredom.
I am willing to sacrifice new shoes
new clothes,
or dining out in restaurants
for more freedom in my day
to paint & play.
I crave creativity daily,
and when i don't get it,
life is no fun for me.
So these past weeks/months have been a whirlwind,
and working in an office was my choice (temporarily!)
but thankfully - it has all ended and i am gently falling back
into my comfort zone...
my natural strengths...
my happy place,
my heart of art.
Exactly where i belong.
I watch people go sometimes
and think to myself "surely - they have gone completely mad"...
running from work to running errands to going to the gym
to taking kids to endless practices and games
to rushing for groceries and appointments and shopping
and doing more and having more
and buying and buying and buying more.
it makes my own head spin.
It's so easy to get caught up in that race.
One really has to pull back now and then
and ask the question :
Is this what i want?
Is this MY race, or someone else's?
There is very little that is essential
for a good life, really. 
At least for me.
A hot bath.
An afternoon in a used book store.
An evening walk with a good friend.

An afternoon of painting.
$5 in my pocket for a good coffee.
Good music.
A soft place to fall.
Soft pyjamas.
or no pyjamas at all!
(giggle)...
 There is just so much in the world that is free
and beautiful
and at our fingertips
but we miss much of it
because we're cooped up in brick buildings
with fluorescent lighting and grey walls
exchanging time for money.
When we are old & grey,
i doubt that any of us will wish
we spent more time at work,
but i can almost guarantee
that most of us will wish
we had spent more time noticing the sunrise,
or the crickets,
or the moon & stars at night,
or spent more time with family and friends,
giving and getting more hugs
putting our toes in the sand...
(my family, a few years ago, when we were still all here...)
Making good memories...
And because it's mother's day tomorrow -
Mom, at her last Relay for Life,
smiling through it all,
with her matching pink & yellow flower hat. :-)
She taught me to live life to the fullest.
Thanks mom. xx
and this one,
because I adore it so much...
mom, family & friends, when she was a young girl.
Mom is in the front, with the white dress and crooked legs
and the tube around her neck! 
Classic mom!
I love the innocence in this photo
and the obvious great time, despite the poverty.
And since it's mother's day tomorrow...
this young man right here,
makes me who i am today.
My son - graduating from high school this year.
So proud of him...

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Thanks for being here with me.
xx

3 comments:

  1. The world needs you as an artist and writer more than an office worker! As a mother I'm proudest of teaching my child how to have fun without money even when we had it! She will pass that on!

    You have a beautiful family and an extremely handsome son with very wise eyes!!

    I can feel your happy spirit in your art, which is gorgeous...the elephant, the kleenex box and typewriter...love it all!! Your spirit seems freer...

    Sage words my friend, I agree with the crazy lifestyle people choose then complain about. Not until there's a crisis do they realize it's not what they want.

    I was forced to change mine...

    Hope you had a wonderful Mothers Day!

    Big hugs Giggles

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  2. So glad to have you back. Your words reminding me what is important....thank you.

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  3. Pauline,

    It is like you have been reading my mind! I have been thinking about life a lot lately. Maybe it is because of my dad being sick, and thinking, is there more to life than working, retiring and getting sick. Time is so precious, am I using it wisely?

    Like you, I don't require a lot of things. I have a tiny house. I don't care for fancy clothes, and am okay with wearing clothes that have paint on them. I live in the country, where there are so many varieties of birds and animals, that I don't desire to live anywhere else. I do like simple things like you!


    Your mother's spirit is so full of life and energy. She looks like a unique lady!

    Like your page in your typewriter, you are a beautiful person! The colours are so captivating!

    Wonderful photos, so peaceful!

    Thanks for sharing your heart!

    Renee

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