Past thoughts are like a work of art. It is already painted, hung on the wall and viewed. Our thoughts should be like this. Already did that, finished and moving on. A painter knows it is difficult to go back and rework a painting. Typically, once you finish and return to paint you have lost the “zone” you were in at the moment you were painting. The likelihood of getting it back is slim. When recalling thoughts of past love, loss, and sad times, it is best to observe them like a painting. Frame it and hang it. Reworking those times in your head, honestly it just doesn’t work. The painting is finished, like the past life experiences.
From my artist view point, it’s time to move on and paint something new and fresh. How about you? Are you still reworking life’s tragedies? Well stop it! Today create a new composition. You may not be an artist but you can create a new life story.
Saturday morning I became a student of a 16 year old who has five years of Chinese traditional painting under his belt. I pulled out my new bamboo brush dipped it in ink and started painting. He stopped me! The line must show more emotion from thick to thin in the blades of grass. I should paint with more feeling. He would correct my fingers and the way I held the brush many times. He was so patient and constantly showed me how to paint leaves. He has practiced the art of painting leaves for a year and I thought I could pick it up in a day. NO way. There is a specific way to create each part of nature according to my young Chinese teacher. I would watch him paint. Then I would copy his strokes. I quickly forgot and couldn’t do it again to save my soul. He never laughed just keep showing me again and again. Is this what I need in my story of life, someone to show me again and again how to do it right? I am beginning to wonder.
Is life a painting? Think about that just a moment. If life is a painting, what does your’s look like? Is it beautifully executed or retouched and muddy. Have you hung it on the wall or do you rework it over and over? Today lets stop reworking our paintings, lets create a new one to hang on the wall? You need some new supplies or new thoughts. For me I bought all new supplies in a shopping trip to “Fu Zi Meow” or Confucius Temple shopping mall. New bamboo brush, ink, felt pad, paper, and a couple of “how to” books in Chinese. Fresh start. New supplies are like new thoughts. What do you want to paint? I want to paint a mountain with misty clouds… but first I need to learn grass, rocks, leaves and flowers. This is the start of my creation, a thought provoking mountain landscape. Must learn the parts to create the whole composition according to my young teacher. Like life, get all the pieces in order to create a great life painting.
Pieces? What are your pieces? Think for a moment, all the sweet things in your life. Do you need to thank someone for something they did for you? Maybe a child cut their finger and you were able to offer a band-aide and compassion to heal their wound and dry a tear. Have you talked to your child today? No! My suggestion is call them and say “I love you” for no reason. Write them an email or text them a nice message. Know an old person that is lonely, then go visit them? Don’t know an old person, then call your grandmother and say hi. You can smile at someone when your walking down the street. Take someone to lunch and pay for it. See someone on the street begging for money, then give them a coin or two. Your painting becomes a compassionate one, one with tender feelings and love. Every minute you are painting a life story, make yours beautiful, full of wonderful emotions and lovely memories.
Remember you can’t go back and rework it or you will muddy it up.
Start creating your story of life. Reflect and step back, look at it and admire the effort you spent on it. You might want to do this every evening just before you fall sleep, recall all the events of the day and say, “What a nice composition I created.” Then fall asleep, and awake to a new day and start your new work of art.
What are you creating? Hit the reply button and tell me what it is you created today!