Are you ready?
Yes!
I think I am...
I hope so...
What does it mean? ...
I was going through my folders of pictures, trying to find a photo of myself for an upcoming blog feature, when I found this set. (see below for what I was wearing in the photos...)
There used to be a mural down the street from us that asked all the passing traffic, "R U ready for the art of living?" Whenever we drove by I wanted to answer a resounding YES!
So, I painted "YES!" on a piece of paper with bright red paint (cadmium red, to be exact), and my husband and I walked down the hill to take some photos.
Several weeks later the city built a new bus stop right in front of that wall, and painted it beige.
Beige!
Isn't that just like life? Just when it feels like everything's happy and wonderful, the world descends and turns everything beige. Blech!
I recently attended a talk by Alexander McCall-Smith (author of the #1 Ladies Detective Agency books). He must be the happiest, most optimistic person I've ever met. Every story or comment was bookended by a giggle or a big smile. One of his comments, which resonated quite deeply with me was:
"The world may be a vale of tears, but we can't fix it by being miserable."
So, let's embrace the art of living!
I'm not exactly sure what the art of living is, mind you. I think it must have something to do with being joyful in the moment, right here, right now. And doing the best we can. And being kind to ourselves (and others).
What do you think the art of living is?
I'm curious. Let's brainstorm and see if we can come up with a definition. You can comment below. Or, if you're following by email you can email me at: jane@janeheinrichs.com .
