Mia and I have been friends for over 25 years. She is the friend everyone should have. She is kind, smart, giving, authentic, honest, generous, sensitive, strong, sometimes challenging but all heart.
Not only does Mia's heart show up for our friendship but she is a life long volunteer and gives her all there, as well.
Mia was a school teacher and counselor during her working years. In her volunteer life she gave her time and heart to help out in suicide prevention, working with the Soroptimists International, leading classes for the families of the mentally ill and most recently working with Hospice patients and a local group visiting the elderly. This is what I mean by "all heart".
When Mia cares about someone, she's all in. She is there for me even when I don't realize I need her help or advice. Yet she speaks and it's as if she has turned a light on a subject that she intuitively knew needed illumination. I find myself telling her about a problem that I had no intention of sharing. She has that way about her where I know she will have something enlightening to say and does.
When my son, Anthony died she was there for me every inch of the way, knowing exactly the right thing to say or at times, simply being there without saying anything. She checked on me daily for many months following his death to see if I needed a shoulder or an ear.
One of the other qualities I like about her is her honesty. Okay, maybe I don't always like her honesty! She has absolutely no qualms telling me if she thinks I'm out of line or have done something that irritated her (that rarely happens, of course!). At times I get annoyed by this attribute but in the end, I admire her for telling me her feelings outright so I always know where we stand.
Her friendship is irreplaceable. She is an exceptional, cherished friend and I love her with all my heart!
xo
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Art Inspiration
I've always loved art; viewing it or creating it. Anything from interior decorating to floral design, from paintings to sculpture (though I have not tried this last one yet). I love visiting art galleries and museums. My favorite museums in the two places I reside are the deYoung and the Legion of Honor in San Francisco and and in Phoenix; the Phoenix Art Museum (where I'm a volunteer).
Visiting a museum or gallery is a wonderful way to pass an afternoon. I'm amazed at how an artist can create a painting that looks so life-like or one where the colors in an abstract can mesmerize. It's fascinating to me. And because of this - I want to produce art as extraordinary as these. Something to aspire to but, seriously? Probably not going to happen in my lifetime. In any event, I can keep learning and doing whatever it takes to improve.
Another thing I have explored are art books. Oh my, have I ever! Here are just a few I've read and highly recommend: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, Think Like an Artist by Will Gompertz, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert , The War of Art and Do the Work both by Steven Pressfield, Art and Soul Reloaded, Pam Grout, Your Inner Critic is a Big Jerk, by Danielle Krysa, 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, Gail McMeekin and my all time favorite; The Artist's Way by the prolific talent, Julia Cameron. And those are just the books I have in Arizona. I have another assortment of books in my California home.
Yes, I am inspired, encouraged and consoled by these books but the problem arises when I spend more time reading than doing. Reading these wonderful books can also be a form of procrastination or postponement (out of fear, perhaps) of what I really want to be doing. And that's making art.
One of the solutions to this delaying tactic is to set a certain time of day for creative work. Right now my project is either writing a post for this blog or working on a collage (my latest art interests). Generally, afternoons are best for me, however, I'm going to experiment with mid-morning for my blog. Often I get a sense of what I want to write about in the morning and by the afternoon the great idea has disappeared!
The point is, if we want our talent to flourish, we must simply dive in and do the work. Books can be a great help and wellspring.......read and create!
xo
Visiting a museum or gallery is a wonderful way to pass an afternoon. I'm amazed at how an artist can create a painting that looks so life-like or one where the colors in an abstract can mesmerize. It's fascinating to me. And because of this - I want to produce art as extraordinary as these. Something to aspire to but, seriously? Probably not going to happen in my lifetime. In any event, I can keep learning and doing whatever it takes to improve.
Another thing I have explored are art books. Oh my, have I ever! Here are just a few I've read and highly recommend: Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, Think Like an Artist by Will Gompertz, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert , The War of Art and Do the Work both by Steven Pressfield, Art and Soul Reloaded, Pam Grout, Your Inner Critic is a Big Jerk, by Danielle Krysa, 12 Secrets of Highly Creative Women, Gail McMeekin and my all time favorite; The Artist's Way by the prolific talent, Julia Cameron. And those are just the books I have in Arizona. I have another assortment of books in my California home.
Yes, I am inspired, encouraged and consoled by these books but the problem arises when I spend more time reading than doing. Reading these wonderful books can also be a form of procrastination or postponement (out of fear, perhaps) of what I really want to be doing. And that's making art.
One of the solutions to this delaying tactic is to set a certain time of day for creative work. Right now my project is either writing a post for this blog or working on a collage (my latest art interests). Generally, afternoons are best for me, however, I'm going to experiment with mid-morning for my blog. Often I get a sense of what I want to write about in the morning and by the afternoon the great idea has disappeared!
The point is, if we want our talent to flourish, we must simply dive in and do the work. Books can be a great help and wellspring.......read and create!
xo
Friday, April 12, 2019
An Impossible Subject
One of the reasons I began this blog was to write about this very difficult subject. It's taken me 14 posts to get here. I've been avoiding it at all costs.
I suppose the primary reason is because it's painful for me. Also, it can be difficult for the reader. Often we go to books, blogs, and websites for happy or good feelings, or perhaps informative subjects...not to hear about someone else's pain.
On Halloween morning, 2015, my sister found my oldest son, Anthony, dead in my apartment. He was 36 years old. Anthony had been suffering from ulcerative colitis for ten years.
For approximately six of those years, he was able to function quite well, and had manageable flare-ups from time to time.
When his disease progressed he returned to California and stayed in my apartment. At this point I was spending most of my time in Arizona, but returned to CA often to help him and do whatever I could to make his life easier.
Anthony underwent two surgeries; one to remove his large intestine and replace it with an ileostomy bag. He had this for one year. The follow-up surgery was to make a pouch out of his small intestine to act as the large intestine. It was successful and all should have been well. However, my dear son did not follow correct protocol regarding diet and other activities and passed away from cardiac arrest.
Anthony was born and raised in California, and fishing and sailing were his life. He began his sailing adventures at age 12 through the local chapter of Sea Scouts, a branch of the Boy Scouts. He was a natural. The Sea Scout leader even gave Anthony a key (knowing his dad was working next door) to the boat so he could work on it during off-hours.
At age 22, Anthony moved to Kennebunkport, Maine and began his life as a fisherman, lobsterman, and sailor.
Anthony loved being on the ocean and loved every second he was on the sea. He made quite a few friends in Maine and was highly respected in his field and sought after by other fishermen.
During the fishing off-season, Anthony was a first mate on a large yacht owned by a wealthy businessman from New York City. He was lucky enough to sail across the Atlantic to Italy and several other European countries, as well as various Caribbean islands. This is exactly what he wanted to do at this time in his young life. He was living his dream.
My belief is that Anthony is now on to his new adventure in his new "life".
I suppose the primary reason is because it's painful for me. Also, it can be difficult for the reader. Often we go to books, blogs, and websites for happy or good feelings, or perhaps informative subjects...not to hear about someone else's pain.
On Halloween morning, 2015, my sister found my oldest son, Anthony, dead in my apartment. He was 36 years old. Anthony had been suffering from ulcerative colitis for ten years.
For approximately six of those years, he was able to function quite well, and had manageable flare-ups from time to time.
When his disease progressed he returned to California and stayed in my apartment. At this point I was spending most of my time in Arizona, but returned to CA often to help him and do whatever I could to make his life easier.
Anthony underwent two surgeries; one to remove his large intestine and replace it with an ileostomy bag. He had this for one year. The follow-up surgery was to make a pouch out of his small intestine to act as the large intestine. It was successful and all should have been well. However, my dear son did not follow correct protocol regarding diet and other activities and passed away from cardiac arrest.
Anthony was born and raised in California, and fishing and sailing were his life. He began his sailing adventures at age 12 through the local chapter of Sea Scouts, a branch of the Boy Scouts. He was a natural. The Sea Scout leader even gave Anthony a key (knowing his dad was working next door) to the boat so he could work on it during off-hours.
At age 22, Anthony moved to Kennebunkport, Maine and began his life as a fisherman, lobsterman, and sailor.
Anthony loved being on the ocean and loved every second he was on the sea. He made quite a few friends in Maine and was highly respected in his field and sought after by other fishermen.
During the fishing off-season, Anthony was a first mate on a large yacht owned by a wealthy businessman from New York City. He was lucky enough to sail across the Atlantic to Italy and several other European countries, as well as various Caribbean islands. This is exactly what he wanted to do at this time in his young life. He was living his dream.
My belief is that Anthony is now on to his new adventure in his new "life".
Friday, April 5, 2019
Hobbies and Other Activities
Hobbies and various interests and pursuits can and will change over time. When I was a young adult my favorite pastime was spending time with my sister or best friend sunning ourselves to a crispy potato chip tan. As I became independent from my parents and acquired my first apartment, interior decorating became the hobby of the moment.
I went as far as having the beautiful hardwood oak floors sanded (at my expense), hand painted stripes on the hallway walls a chocolate brown on a white background.
I purchased a used sofa and had it slip covered in a brown, black and white flower print, repainted second hand director chairs stark white and bought at an overstuffed chair at a garage sale and had it recovered as well. I added a bright white shag rug that I placed under a chrome and glass coffee table. Hey, it was the '70's!
I had so much fun decorating my home and that love has endured over the years. I've enjoyed decorating and purchasing new items and replacing (many times over) all the furniture from a one bedroom apartment to several homes with many rooms, over the years.
Besides decorating, I've taken up painting (no, not walls, but pictures). I began with watercolors. No one told me that this medium is the most difficult. I was working full time and took a non-credit class at the local college. Eventually, I moved on to acrylics as I learned they are much more forgiving. If I didn't like it, I simply painted over that sucker and started anew! So much better than being frustrated with watercolors and wasting money on paper I tossed away. Perhaps one day I'll try watercolors again (or not).
Besides artistic endeavors, I was a so-so tennis player, but loved the sport, until my knees gave out. Same with running. I started running at age 37 and ran well into my 50"s. After two knee replacements that activity was sidelined.
I learned to love hiking and walking my neighborhood and exploring other areas I was unfamiliar with and this was more gentle on my knees.
Back to painting in the early 2000's. I painted mostly from photos of landscapes I'd taken or inspiration of paintings I'd seen in galleries or museums. I never loved the process as that critical voice kept interfering but I persisted. And, oddly, I produced some rather nice work.
Due to life getting a bit complicated with marriage concerns, my painting dropped off and I eventually gave it up entirely.
It's been almost 10 years since I created art and things are turning around in that area. I recently finished two collages. I love them! And love the process. It's so much easier than creating a painting that I expect to look somewhat realistic (I'm not an abstract painter) even though I am applying paint. I had a theme in mind (my older son) and used stencils, copies of his handwriting from cards he sent me over the years, bits of newspaper print and other odd pieces of paper. The process is not always easy, depending on the subject matter, of course, but cathartic and healing. And since it is abstract, the critic is quieted more easily. I plan on continuing with collage and my next one will be about my younger son.
My other newest activity is pickleball. All I can say about this is that it is a hoot! I'm taking lessons, purchased a decent paddle and balls and soon hope to play beyond the lessons (if my girlfriends cooperate!)
Life is good especially when we keep learning and experiment with new ideas, places, people and activities.
xo
I went as far as having the beautiful hardwood oak floors sanded (at my expense), hand painted stripes on the hallway walls a chocolate brown on a white background.
I purchased a used sofa and had it slip covered in a brown, black and white flower print, repainted second hand director chairs stark white and bought at an overstuffed chair at a garage sale and had it recovered as well. I added a bright white shag rug that I placed under a chrome and glass coffee table. Hey, it was the '70's!
I had so much fun decorating my home and that love has endured over the years. I've enjoyed decorating and purchasing new items and replacing (many times over) all the furniture from a one bedroom apartment to several homes with many rooms, over the years.
Besides decorating, I've taken up painting (no, not walls, but pictures). I began with watercolors. No one told me that this medium is the most difficult. I was working full time and took a non-credit class at the local college. Eventually, I moved on to acrylics as I learned they are much more forgiving. If I didn't like it, I simply painted over that sucker and started anew! So much better than being frustrated with watercolors and wasting money on paper I tossed away. Perhaps one day I'll try watercolors again (or not).
Besides artistic endeavors, I was a so-so tennis player, but loved the sport, until my knees gave out. Same with running. I started running at age 37 and ran well into my 50"s. After two knee replacements that activity was sidelined.
I learned to love hiking and walking my neighborhood and exploring other areas I was unfamiliar with and this was more gentle on my knees.
Back to painting in the early 2000's. I painted mostly from photos of landscapes I'd taken or inspiration of paintings I'd seen in galleries or museums. I never loved the process as that critical voice kept interfering but I persisted. And, oddly, I produced some rather nice work.
Due to life getting a bit complicated with marriage concerns, my painting dropped off and I eventually gave it up entirely.
It's been almost 10 years since I created art and things are turning around in that area. I recently finished two collages. I love them! And love the process. It's so much easier than creating a painting that I expect to look somewhat realistic (I'm not an abstract painter) even though I am applying paint. I had a theme in mind (my older son) and used stencils, copies of his handwriting from cards he sent me over the years, bits of newspaper print and other odd pieces of paper. The process is not always easy, depending on the subject matter, of course, but cathartic and healing. And since it is abstract, the critic is quieted more easily. I plan on continuing with collage and my next one will be about my younger son.
My other newest activity is pickleball. All I can say about this is that it is a hoot! I'm taking lessons, purchased a decent paddle and balls and soon hope to play beyond the lessons (if my girlfriends cooperate!)
Life is good especially when we keep learning and experiment with new ideas, places, people and activities.
xo
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