We are always trying to find meaning, find ourselves, find the moment, find happiness and make it all fit. These days we leave very little to chance. So what about finding time to get lost? I sat at the foot of a monstrous monolith this past week and the words “I feel lost here” came to mind as I painted the sun setting in all it’s juicy tones. I do feel lost here, in this warm and dry place you all have heard me speak of countless times. A good kind of lost…the best kind of lost really.
From left: Hiking with my family, a new pattern in the works, Creeping Mahonia, the sunset in black and white.
It takes a few days for the mind to stop racing; to stop planning every moment, stressing about this or that. But once the mind stops, the chance to get lost presents itself. Take it. All at once you begin to see more; smell and taste with more intensity. The small worries wash away…
From left: Color everywhere, Indian Paintbrush watercolor, my kind of granduer, tree blooms from a morning sketch session.
I must remember this feeling, this moment, where all the colors in my world are more intense and delightful. I must plan to seize more moments like this. So yes, now I speak of planning. But perhaps if we plan to rest, to imagine, to get lost…wherever we are, even if only in small doses, we are better off and more ready to face the next steps?
So I decided to get lost in a bit of watercolor and let whatever happen in a blissful hour of painting, just because.
Someone last week quoted Louis Pastuer and the words have been rattling around in my head ever since. “…chance favors only the prepared mind.” Ah yes, perhaps it does.
So, how will you plan to get lost a bit this week?