can you make the world a better place?

Of all the paths you take in life,

make sure a few of them are dirt.

- John Muir

Hello folks!
Here's a little glimpse of my world
during the past few weeks...

Today is Black Friday
and I'll be as far away from the stores & malls
as I can possibly get.
A frenzy of crazy, desperate shoppers...
One of my worst nightmares. ;)

I'll be going for a walk here instead

later this afternoon.

A much more centered, sane place for me.

And alas,

COLOR FOR CLARITY has arrived!

November 17th was the date of mom's passing -

3 years now -

and this was what it looked like outside.

It'll always be a sad day to me.

My mind naturally goes back

to that time,

to that room,

to those last moments.

I don't spend the whole day crying,

but I just wake up with a heavy heart

and I'm always relieved when nighttime falls.

But this year was different.

There was glimpse of happiness

in this dark, snowy day

when I received the box from Amazon

filled with our lovely books!

It's a strange thing

how "living in the moment"

takes so much effort sometimes.

The whole process of collaborating

on this colouring book

was great.

Choosing our words,

doing the illustrations,

sending them off,

dreaming of holding

COLOR FOR CLARITY in our hands.

And then we get them,

and of course it's exciting,

but within the first few minutes,

I was already thinking,

"What can I do next?!"

I literally had to stop myself,

sit myself down with the book,

smell it (like I do with most books) ;)

and slowly go through it page by page,

and only then,

i began to feel gratitude.

There's always a time and a place
to consider our next dream...

but it's important to appreciate
the moment of THIS dream
while it's here.

So fall is here
and winter is just around the corner
and although last winter was long
and cold
and snowy
and fucking depressing at times...
there's still a part of me
that loves the cocooning of this cold season.

I tend to write more, paint more,

and feel more grounded, for some reason.

With everything happening in the world,

it's more important than ever

for each of us to find our own

quiet, peaceful place.

To do what we can for others,

without losing ourselves.

Everyone has an opinion about everything.

The yahoos think they can solve world problems

when they can't even find their own socks.

I've come to realize this:
I.
can't.
save.
the.
world.

I can't solve world hunger.

I can't bring peace to everyone on earth.

It's too heavy a burden for me.

All I can do is make my own little corner

as peaceful as possible.

All I can do is my own little part,

here in this corner of the globe,

and hope that others do the same

in different little corners everywhere.

And sometimes,
that little part for me
means nothing more
than smiling at someone.

Sometimes it means giving a few dollars,
or food,
or sending a card
or clothes.
Sometimes it means 
putting myself in someone else's shoes
if only for a moment
and trying to understand their fears
and their crushed hopes
and their sense of desperation.

We live in a first world country
with first world problems
so most of us have no idea
what it's like to worry about your next meal.
Or about the safety of your children.
Or about making it through another day
alive.

So I've been playing in this little book
on and off since June.

As you can see,
some of my drawings & doodles
are far less serious than others. ;)

Books like this are designed
to encourage bad drawings...
which are as important as good drawings.
I am nowhere near perfect
so why should my drawings be?

I hate even the word "perfection".
Or anyone who strives for perfection.
Perfection is not truth.
If anything,
it's farthest from the truth.
Which is probably why i dislike social media so much...
because we see a LOT of "untruths".
A lot of "pretend perfect lives".
The happy faces.
The happy wheels.
The happy meals. ;)

And on that note,
THANK YOU to everyone who bought
a COLOR FOR CLARITY colouring book
and those who helped encourage and inspire me
along the way.
It may be a small, dinky dream to some,
but small dreams are still sweet. :)
oh, and newsflash...
I'll be doing a giveaway of Color for Clarity
right HERE in the next week or so!!
Come back for a visit soon
if you want your name to be entered in the draw!
hugs to all of you.
xx

ps: Visit Amazon.com if you want to buy your own copy of Color for Clarity today!

a mishmash of art, words and snow

Loneliness is the poverty of self;

solitude is the richness of self.

May Sarton

(micron pen and acrylic on paper)

There's a huge difference between being lonely

and being solitary.

I am a solitary person.

I am rarely lonely.

I rather enjoy being alone,

with my books,

and writings

and paintings,

and thoughts.

this doesn't mean i don't enjoy the company of others -

i just more often prefer to be by myself.

I believe (like May Sarton),

that this is often where we find our own richness.

My best writing

or painting

is done when i am alone.

when i am not comparing myself to anyone.

when i am listening to myself

rather than being drowned out

by someone else's voice,

or perspective,

or talent

or genius.

(micron pen on paper)

With the world at our fingertips today,

it is so important as artists

to let ourselves be inspired by others

without letting ourselves be diminished

by everyone else's greatness.

Comparison paralyzes creativity.

So if you are here to make the world a better place,

in your own way,

it cannot be done if you compare yourself to others.

They are they,

and you are you. :-)

we're getting a snowstorm today.

It will be a white christmas after all. :-)

 

And this, a lovely handmade card i got from Lorinda last week...

reminding me that there are better days ahead,

and that love can be expressed in more ways than one.

She actually thanked me for having inspired her.

That just made my heart swell. xox

and speaking of love,
how great is this?!
Check out the bookworm bookmark. :-)

Colouring books i got from Doodlers Anonymous -
drawings done by artists from all over the world.

Love on paper.

i bought them to give as Christmas gifts,
but i think i may need to order a few extras for myself.

You even get a chance to have your doodles in the next book!

how fun are these faces?

oh yeah, i'll need to get extras for myself.

I'm kinda thinking it's a good thing i wrapped them already -

otherwise, i'd be colouring right now. :-)

xox

the beach, good books and a WW2 painting...

The cure for anything is salt water - sweat, tears, or the sea.

- Isak Dinesen

I made my way to the beach today...

is there anything better than a quiet day at the beach with a good book?

And with these little treasures i got last week from Amazon,

let's just say it was a good day. 

I am somewhat of a loner, so i much prefer a quiet beach
than one filled with noise and barking dogs
and shiny, sparkly, tanned bodies. :-)

We have several beaches around here we can escape to
when we don't feel like being surrounded by a gazillion people.

I still think that if everyone regularly took time to unwind like this, 
the world would be a better place.

I realize that not everyone has such freedom...
and almost always, whenever i am surrounded by this beauty,
i can't help but think of those less fortunate
and it's an effort for me not to feel guilty for what i have.

...a little blue ocean between the rocks...

The wharf, with fishing boats coming in and going out...

multi-colored fishing rope...

A fishing boat...

Who wouldn't love a turquoise boat?

lovely reflection in the water...

A few more people showed up, but still very quiet.

I had a wonderful few hours to myself...

I'm squeezing out every last bit of summer we have left,

although i welcome the fall with open arms.

It's my favorite season.

This was last night's work....

I have a soft spot for WW2 soldiers and stories.

Many of these men went into battle without much of a choice.
It's one thing to choose to become a soldier,
but quite another to be forced into it.

My father in law was a WW2 veteran and used to tell me stories of local men
who spent months hiding in the woods near here,
so they wouldn't be forced to join the army.

Once in a while, the military police would go from house to house,
gathering all the men to join in the battle overseas (in Europe).

When they suspected there was a man of the house in hiding,
they searched the thick woods in the surrounding areas
and often found what they were looking for.

My father in law told me of one such man who had the kindest heart,
and who had been hiding in the woods for months,
fearful of being forced into the army,
with his wife and children bringing him food.

Some may see these men as cowards, but i don't.

I think of my own father, who doesn't have the heart to discipline his dog, 
let alone kill a man,
and i understand what these men were hiding from.

They were filled with fear at the thought of war,
and the idea that they may be killed,
but more than anything,
they were paralyzed in fear at having to kill someone else.

When i saw this photo last night in one of my books, it tugged at my heart.

This police constable is consoling a man who had gone for a walk with his dog while his wife cooked Sunday dinner. His town (in South London) was bombed and he came back to find everything demolished and his wife buried beneath the rubble.  

a quick watercolor sketch with colors a bit too dark for my liking,
but i guess that was the mood...

As much as the world is filled with crap,
it's also filled with very hopeful, caring,
compassionate moments like these.

My world makes sense when i acknowledge both, the good with the bad.

Sometimes, i let myself get carried away too much with the bad
(hence, the asshole post prior to this one!)
but then i treat my soul to good books and a day at the beach
and all is well with the world again. :-)

Thank you all for visiting here.
I hope you all know how grateful i am
that we share this space together...

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
xox