PORTRAIT OF A DAY – mixed media, and mixed emotions
Friday, August 7, 2020
Every day shares its many facets with us – different for everyone, or maybe we share our aspects wit the day. The day, when you think about it, as a passive impartial observer watching our lives go round and round. The earth might throw in a thunderstorm or a tornado, and earthquake or other seismic events, but none of it is personal, not pro or con, and the earth has no interest in us – we’re just hitchin’ a ride for a while.
Some days we feel like our own worst enemy, and other days we feel like our best friend.
Today is the second part …
Today is the anniversary of my arrival on earth, it’s the anniversary of a friend’s wedding, and it’s the anniversary of the death of a friend’s son. A mixed emotion day, and a hundred other things, some large, but mostly small. Each competing for our attention, our energy, and our emotions.
But most days, we don’t have a mix – it’s mostly black or white, it’s somber or balloons. It’s focused on what is right in front of us, and we are without the dexterity to also see far down a winding path …
We are what we do and what we have done.
We are also what we dream and what we expect.
Expectations govern so much of what we do, what we guide toward fruition unless we have those expectations shattered, in which case we must grieve them.
Life is short, and most of us think our time is too quickly running out – while some of us are focused on making better use of our time and taking better care of our health, so we’ll have more time.
Some of us are lucky enough to have birthdays, some of us have anniversaries, and some of us have the horrible inadequacy of grieving the loss of their expectations because time cannot be unwound.
Whatever August 7th means to you, celebrate your joys and grief, honour your memories, and fulfill your dreams.
This piece may seem incoherent, disjointed, or not well organized – but be assured, it is crystal clear to me. I celebrate how lucky I am. I do life and work and play as I love what I do and who I am while recognizing I’ve had so few expectations taken away from me.
Seismic?
Indeed.