in seattle, last october
I went to the art museum this afternoon ~ an afternoon of sunshine and silhouette trees, of orange suns and reflections sparkling on the river, of snowmelt and puddles. It felt of spring. I've been noticing subtleties lately, reading In Praise of Shadows, remembering looking at Giotto in Assisi, and Paul Klee in Switzerland, and dreaming again of visiting other countries and being intrigued by other places.
I got to experience that today, peering in at wood paneled rooms moved in entirety from an ancient England, watching the drip-drip of water into the rock cleansing basin at the Japanese tea house. The stone Buddha, smiling for a thousand years. The perfect fresh beauty of the 12th century turquoise Persian dish, set down by the artisan at some point 900 years ago and now there, in front of me, as if time blinked. Imagining how people used to live, seeing the detail of things hundreds of years old as if they were made yesterday, and being awed and inspired by the history of humankind.
It's pretty affirming. Makes me glad to be here doing my thing, just like they all did. Living day to day, looking for the beauty and focusing on the pith of life, as much as I am able. I probably won't be leaving anything behind to last for a thousand years, but I'm happy to be here now, looking forward to when this sand mandala will be made near by me, to making amaranth popcorn, and trying my hand at a flourless lemon torte. ( ~ any ideas on where to find a good recipe?)
What's making you happy to be here lately?
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7 comments:
Beautiful Image !!
Have a nice week :)
i get lost in this image (and i LOVE seattle!)
i love being transported in spaces like that. it is always so surprising to see history as if it were in the present, still.
wow. whenever I read your blog I think "this is probably the most inspiring post" but it is always trumped by a new one! Museums are so great for inspiration, and it sounds like you saw some lovely things. I don't have any ideas for a flourless lemon torte, sorry :( but you could try the gluten free girl blog online. Thank you for continually being a ray of inspiration and positivity to other artists!
Thanks, Marisa. You too.
Jojo ~ I like seattle, too, (but I liked Portland better.) "history in the present" exactly describes the odd sensation! What museums have you been to that you liked?
Keia ~ Thank you ~ and you're welcome! I have so many museums on my list now to see! Gluten Free Girl is a great spot to check. I hadn't thought of that.
Ahhh! such a meditative photo. We are covered under with snow and I am craving something else beside white snow to look at. You are amazing, getting rid of 20 things at a time. I have to admit that I did that through Christmas break. I was like purge woman. I barely have anything left :) And I am not even a pack rat at all. I am the bring one in/get rid of one kind of girl and still I managed to give an amazing amount of stuff to goodwill.
I felt that a photo of something other than snow, ice and slush would put us all into a nicer mood. :) Serious february doldrums around my place ~ but no longer really, since it was so sunny today! I do the "20 item" challenge every few months, so it's easier to find them than one would think. Just look in the kitchen drawers, for example. There's always at least 3 things there. :)
this is a fantastic place http://www.heritagesquare.org/
i wish i could hide in one of the homes for a whole evening. someone would have to be with me though. i might get scared. o, and i love portland, too. hawthorne, my fav. i think i love seattle for the landscape and exploring all the little pockets of puget sound. portland, is a more intimate experience... exploring the actual city by foot.
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