There is always something beautiful to be found in this world. Can’t see it? Keep looking.
Happy Wednesday, friends!
Keep Looking
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Tag Archives: beauty
Do Something
A colorful table with a bouquet of flowers deserves notice. That’s because in this dreary world where everyone agrees that the country is a mess but we’re all divided regarding why, we need more than ever to celebrate the small stuff.
A pop of color here and there, little bits of beauty, and small doses of positivity may be what’s standing between you and the loss of your mental well being.
Turn off the news, stop reading comments and memes, and start snoozing people on Facebook who stress you out. They do not deserve your energy. I have no problem leaving rooms where I do not belong because I would rather be alone than feel preached at or bullied. I would rather keep my circle small than be with people who judge the world and me using their narrow views as guide.
My cat and I are good pals and he has never once ruined my day.
Look for the good stuff – the new music, the volunteers who are improving your community, the sunsets, and the flowers in the window. If you can’t find anything good, maybe it’s time you take matters into your own hands.
Become the volunteer, plant the flowers, adopt a pet, share a meal with a friend, stand outside and watch the new day dawn because living to see a brand new day is worth celebrating.
Do something useful in this world. Even if you are the only person who notices. It’s the only way things will get better.
Visiting Monet In Cleveland
This long weekend found me headed to points north. There’s a Monet exhibition happening at the Cleveland Musuem of Art and my fella and I were meeting friends to see it. While there, of course we had to explore beyond the Monet. Even if you don’t like or know anything about the art, this is an incredible place to visit just for the variety of it all.
The Monet exhibition is five pieces including including three late period paintings that are borrowed from the Musee Marmottan Monet in Paris. The showstopper though is a six foot tall Monet that was purchased by the museum in the sixties. At fourteen feet wide, this painting is the centerpiece of the show and probably the centerpiece of any room the museum chooses to display it in.
The walls in that room are a rich eggplant and the light dramatic so it’s the perfect place to showcase the beautiful pastels that Monet mastered so beautifully.
I took a few art history classes in college but do not pretend to understand art at all. I do know what’s pretty and what I like and Claude Monet, the Frenchman who gave the world Impressionism, created countless paintings that I think are beautiful. His work and that of other Impressionists is so different than anything that came before that they’re easy to spot. It’s also easy to understand why the French art establishment despised these paintings. They were considered unfinished and amateurish. They defied convention.
He often revisited the same subject matter, painting the same scene several times. Each of these paintings was different, of course, because time of day, changing seasons and consequential changing light made the view look different. I’m clearly no Monet but I love to walk in the same places and photograph the same things to see how changing light each day influences appearance. I relate to the idea that a rich understanding of a place comes with careful study under all kinds of light.
I like the softness of Monet’s work and that moving away and moving closer reveals something new. Stand close to see the paint strokes and the way the colors melt together into something indistinguishable. Move further away to see how those colors and brush strokes work to reveal a scene.
It’s possible that the real reason I like Monet and the Impressionists so well is that the way space and light can change the artwork is similar to how time and distance can change our perceptions in life. When you’re too close to a situation, it’s easy to focus on the flaws. Step away and the big picture reveals itself to be something greater and often better than you expected.
Isn’t it funny how a spin around a room full of paintings can change how you view the world? When in doubt, step back to see the big picture. I promise you won’t regret it.
Want to see this exhibition? Admission is free but you only have until August 11. Click here for full details.
Magic In Everyday Things
“The world is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper”
W.B. Yeats
The world is filled with magic in everyday things. Turn off the tv and go look for it. Understandably, Monday is a harder day to feel like looking but it’s usually when we don’t feel like it that we need to the most.
This image was made possible by simply wanting to see something special on Saturday. It is from my own backyard.
So, yeah, you can go places and spend lots of money and chase things just beyond your reach. You can also just stand still and look around you.
There is magic in everyday things. Go find it.
There’s Beauty If You Look
There is something good or interesting or beautiful to see everywhere you go. You just have to look.
On the rainy day I made this picture, I remembered the old saying sometimes you have to make your own sunshine.
What is this?
It’s a leaf stuck to my car on a rainy day. Isn’t it beautiful?
Look Up
Here’s another reason why you should look up and all around.
This is a small space between buildings in downtown Lancaster. I think the installation is gone now but it was such a treat to walk through and many people didn’t even know it existed because they simply weren’t aware of their surroundings.
It was like a special secret for the aware.
What secrets have you found in your world?