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Hello peeps.

Sometimes, i wish i was less sensitive.

(acrylic on canvas - for sale on ETSY soon!)

I woke up this morning feeling calm and peaceful,

ready to greet the day.

Then i went for my usual morning walk

and in a certain part of my small neighbourhood,

i saw a couple fighting on their front porch.

They often do.

She was screaming at him.

He was screaming at her.

At 7:30am.

I walked faster to get away from the awkwardness.

I can't imagine beginning the day

with screaming at someone.

But they can.

They do.

And i thought about how different 

everyone's normal is.

As i continued my walk,

i saw birds fighting one another...

a smaller bird trying to attack two crows,

obviously protecting its young.

Then i heard barking dogs in the distance.

I wondered if everyone's mood

was affected by the lack of color here lately.

The dirty snow.

the lack of green.

of flowers.

of chirping, happy birds...

(photo taken yesterday - when it was sunny! See the melting dirty snow!? Yay!)

I went from feeling calm

to feeling anxious & frustrated

in a matter of minutes.

Only because of what was happening

around me.

Or rather, because of my reaction

to what was happening.

I suppose if i were less sensitive to the bad things,

i'd be less sensitive to the good things too...

So i continued my walk, slowly,

calming myself down again, 

and trying to be grateful for the day.

For life the way it is.

the good, the bad and the ugly. :-)

And i secretly wished i was more like Jack...

xox

what would happen if you dared to create?

a little bit of art...

(dry pastel on paper)

I listened to a podcast yesterday

where Flora Bowley talked about

rising above the starving artist myth.

3 things are needed to "make it" in the arts.

(and only YOU can define what it means to "make it"...)

1. The need to create.

2. Belief in yourself.

3. Hard work.

Some may argue that you need money,

you need time

you need a studio

or special materials...

but in reality, if you have these 3 simple things,

you will find the money and the time to create.

Because it is as necessary

as the air you breathe.

And if you don't have these 3 things,

you will find excuses.

And that's ok for a while,

but eventually - hopefully,

the excuses will no longer work for you,

and you'll find the gentle courage you need

to take that first step,

to pick up that brush,

to write that poem,

or that book,

or that song...

and to put it out in the world.

to express yourself

in the way that feels right to you.

And the world will be a better place

because you dared.

universal pain

If you reveal your secrets to the wind,

you should not blame the wind

for revealing them to the trees.

KHALIL GIBRAN

I painted this last night.

i had just finished watching a documentary about a family in Latvia

who had a history of incest 

and this one woman who was trying to free herself

from such heavy chains on her heart.

My heart went out to her and her two children...

born of her own brother.

Family secrets.

I just thought about how the pain must be the same

for anyone who is abused -

whether you are in Russia or the US

or France or China or Canada.

The feeling must be the same.

Just as love is universal, so must be pain.

My current books on the go.

Someone asked me the other day

what i was reading.

I was never one to read just one book at a time.

I usually have several books on the go,

and the book i pick up depends on my mood at the time.

Some books are heavy on the head, some are lighter.

If a book is really good, I'll read it faster than the others.

Some books i prefer reading in the morning,

and some easier reads are kept for the evenings.

I sometimes feel like i'm trying to learn

as much stuff as i can while i'm here...

i know, it's ridiculous, right?

but it's who i am.

And truth be told, i wouldn't be who i am today

if it were not for all the books i've read.

Books not only have the ability

to teach us about the world,

but they also teach us about ourselves.

what we like and don't like.

what makes us tick.

what we love and what we learn to tolerate.

what we are willing to stand for.

the reasons we believe what we believe.

What frustrates the hell out of us.

(right now, for me, it's all the hype about the damn smoke

coming out of the Sistine chapel chimney!)

I for one, do not care who they elect pope.

There. I said it.

I'm still convinced that if most catholics knew

about the history of catholic religion,

they would be fewer in numbers.

Maybe when they begin to respect women,

and children

and gays

and scientists

and atheists...

i'll change my mind.

Who knows.

Miracles can happen. 

;-)