Here's a large format oil on panel interpretation of an old watercolor I did back in Germany last year.
And a wee little oil on panel, she's the gardening goddess.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
New Oils
Here's a large format oil on panel interpretation of an old watercolor I did back in Germany last year.
And a wee little oil on panel, she's the gardening goddess.
Its Nice to Be Nice
There's a wonderful cultural movement happening right now, and if your senses are keen enough, you can pick up on it and notice the small wonders people will present to you. When times become hard or stretched, the acts of human kindness become prevalent. You'll notice that people will go out of their way to make small good deeds for others.
Here's an article by my wonderful Mother who is a practitioner and master of good deeds:
The news and media: I can hardly watch it; it’s bleak, and depressing. They keep ramming home “these troubled times.” Advertisements: they are doing a great job constantly talking about how horrible everything is for everyone. You would think this is the worst time the world has ever seen. It’s not! My god! Are we, as a society, incredibly spoiled? Stop listening to the media. I mean really. I know that we are in a significant and temporary down turn. Has this happened before? Yes. Will this happen again? Yes. Is it a natural occurrence? Yes. Just like the push and pull of the tides. Do the media companies want to sell papers and generate news? Yes. Do you want to be a pawn in their game? Hmmm, this is up to each and every one of us individually and as a team. I guess what I’m trying to say is, throughout history there have been some really bad events and we have pivoted out of them.
So let’s start to keep our chins up, and look on the bright side. For example, I have been observing, quite by accident, people being nice to each other with random acts of kindness. It warms my heart. They are always small acts but they generate so much positive energy. They bring joy to the people giving and receiving as well as to any witnesses.
I was in line at the 99 Cent Store and the first person in line was purchasing an item that cost $1.99. The cashier said, “I’m sorry but the minimum purchase with an ATM Card is $5.00.” The customer said, “But this is all I want.” The woman behind him had about 8 items and she said, “I’ll buy that for you, sir.” The two of them went back and forth… oh my goodness, how kind, no problem, yada, yada. The third person in line had 2 items and she was so touched by the second woman’s generosity she said, “Excuse me, I’d like to buy all of the items please.” Everyone in the store started clapping. It filled us all with such joy to witness this small act of generosity. We are still talking about it.
Since that day I decided to open my eyes and see if people are being “nice” -- and do you know what I found? They are. It’s everywhere in the smallest ways. Someone says, “Would you like to get in front of me in line, you only have a few items,” or “You look like you’re in a hurry.” Someone stumbles and falls and people stop and help, with genuine concern. I could go on and on.
You would think that with all of this economic nastiness, people would be more uptight and uncaring in their own little worlds. I am saying that it’s just not the case, if we will only look. Let’s start looking for the kindness in strangers. Not only that, let’s start being kind. My Father’s favorite saying since I was a little girl is, “It’s nice to be nice.”
We have to change this world energetically and what better way to do it than by one kindness at a time. So, let’s follow Dad’s example; he’ll be happy that I told you. What do you know, that’s one more happy person out there. You see it’s already working!
Here's an article by my wonderful Mother who is a practitioner and master of good deeds:
It's NICE to be NICE
I’m amazed at how quickly this year is flying by. It’s already spring and summer is just around the bend, and then it will be fall -- you get the picture. I’m always learning so much about health and wellness; I have to tell you that it all starts with your state of mind. So I just wanted to share my thoughts and observations. Who knows, maybe it will help bring about a new perspective.The news and media: I can hardly watch it; it’s bleak, and depressing. They keep ramming home “these troubled times.” Advertisements: they are doing a great job constantly talking about how horrible everything is for everyone. You would think this is the worst time the world has ever seen. It’s not! My god! Are we, as a society, incredibly spoiled? Stop listening to the media. I mean really. I know that we are in a significant and temporary down turn. Has this happened before? Yes. Will this happen again? Yes. Is it a natural occurrence? Yes. Just like the push and pull of the tides. Do the media companies want to sell papers and generate news? Yes. Do you want to be a pawn in their game? Hmmm, this is up to each and every one of us individually and as a team. I guess what I’m trying to say is, throughout history there have been some really bad events and we have pivoted out of them.
So let’s start to keep our chins up, and look on the bright side. For example, I have been observing, quite by accident, people being nice to each other with random acts of kindness. It warms my heart. They are always small acts but they generate so much positive energy. They bring joy to the people giving and receiving as well as to any witnesses.
I was in line at the 99 Cent Store and the first person in line was purchasing an item that cost $1.99. The cashier said, “I’m sorry but the minimum purchase with an ATM Card is $5.00.” The customer said, “But this is all I want.” The woman behind him had about 8 items and she said, “I’ll buy that for you, sir.” The two of them went back and forth… oh my goodness, how kind, no problem, yada, yada. The third person in line had 2 items and she was so touched by the second woman’s generosity she said, “Excuse me, I’d like to buy all of the items please.” Everyone in the store started clapping. It filled us all with such joy to witness this small act of generosity. We are still talking about it.
Since that day I decided to open my eyes and see if people are being “nice” -- and do you know what I found? They are. It’s everywhere in the smallest ways. Someone says, “Would you like to get in front of me in line, you only have a few items,” or “You look like you’re in a hurry.” Someone stumbles and falls and people stop and help, with genuine concern. I could go on and on.
You would think that with all of this economic nastiness, people would be more uptight and uncaring in their own little worlds. I am saying that it’s just not the case, if we will only look. Let’s start looking for the kindness in strangers. Not only that, let’s start being kind. My Father’s favorite saying since I was a little girl is, “It’s nice to be nice.”
We have to change this world energetically and what better way to do it than by one kindness at a time. So, let’s follow Dad’s example; he’ll be happy that I told you. What do you know, that’s one more happy person out there. You see it’s already working!
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