9/29/05

Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life he can only respond by being responsible. ~ Victor Frankl
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0671023373/qid=1128002190/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-4916387-1103321?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

9/27/05

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. ~ Joseph Campbell

9/26/05

Things are seldom what they seem. ~ W. S. Gilbert

9/24/05

A man traveling from New York came to visit a very famous rabbi living in Europe. The man came to the rabbi’s house, a large house on a city street, and was led to the rabbi’s room, which was in the attic. He discovered the master living in a simple room with a bed, a chair, and a few books, nothing more. Disappointed, the man said as soon as he finished formal greetings, “Rabbi, where are your things?”
The rabbi quickly asked back: “Where are your things?”
“But, Rabbi, I’m only passing through,” the visitor said.
“So am I, so am I,” the rabbi replied.
~ Western Mondo

9/23/05

[The human] heart is restless unless he has found, and fulfilled, meaning and purpose in life. ~ Viktor E. Frankl.

9/22/05

The Greeks understood the mysterious power of the hidden side of things. They bequeathed to us one of the most beautiful words in our language – the word ‘enthusiasm’ – en theos – a god within. The grandeur of human actions is measured by the inspiration from which they spring. Happy is he who bears a god within, and who obeys it. ~ Louis Pasteur

9/19/05

All it takes to become an artist is to start doing art.
~ Ellen Langer, On Becoming an Artist

9/17/05

Life’s wonder and mystery can be discovered as easily at a traffic light as on a mountaintop. ~ Ezra Bayda, Saying Yes to Life

9/16/05

Sit, walk, or run, but don’t wobble. ~ Zen proverb

9/15/05

Where the delight is, there is the treasure. ~ St. Augustine

9/14/05

There are many wonderful things that will never be done if you do not do them. ~ The Honorable Charles Gill

9/13/05

That which does not kill me, makes me stronger. ~ Nietzsche

9/10/08

A keen gardener, intent on creating a perfect lawn, struggled desperately with the dandelions that just wouldn’t go away. He read every manual, consulted experts, used every available weed killer to no avail. Each morning a new dandelion would appear. Finally, in despair, he consulted his neighbor, who had a perfect lawn. “Nothing works,” he complained. “All my work is worthless, destroyed by these dandelions. Is there no solution?” The neighbor paused and answered, “I suggest you learn to love them.”
~ Christina Feldman, The Buddhist Path to Simplicity

9/9/05

Last night I attended the Artist’s Reception at the Puyallup Fair to receive my awards. After the awards were presented, a woman came up and introduced herself. I recognized her name; she is a well known digital artist in the area. She told me she was one of the judges in the digital category and she wanted me to know how much she liked my work, and how hard she pushed for “verb” to be given Best of Show. I was stunned. Later, I watched as people looked at my work. They were entranced with it; they would look at it for a long time, standing back then moving up close. It was extremely gratifying – seeing how much people enjoyed my work.

I came to visual art in my 40’s. I only began doing digital collage four years ago. I had no idea what I was doing, but I kept experimenting and learning and eventually the dross began to turn to gold.

So why am I telling you all of this? Because I bet every single one of you has unfulfilled dreams, things you would like to try, creative projects that call you quietly in the night. So – as Nike so eloquently says – just do it! My friend Ginger is doing it; she has had several photography shows this summer. My friend Anne is doing it; she has worked very hard to make her art business a success. My friend Lora Lea is doing it; she turned a cheese-making hobby into a meaningful family business. My friend Sue is doing it; she took her passion for healing and became a massage therapist and now an acupuncturist. My boyfriend Stu is doing it; he combined his love of cartooning with his passion for truth and is creating political cartoons that are being published weekly. My daughter Katie is doing it; she wanted to be a California girl (at least for awhile) and so she packed up and moved down to San Diego.

You have something you would love to try? Don’t hide from it, don’t make excuses, don’t let your fears stop you. Just do it.

Someday is now.

9/8/05

Body and spirit I surrendered whole
To harsh instructors - and received a soul.
~Rudyard Kipling

9/6/05

The Zen mind speaks with strength, saying, “Just do it!”
The Zen heart speaks softly, saying, “Just let it be.”
~ Ezra Bayda, Saying Yes to Life

9/2/05

...the hope of the world lies not with churchmen, statesmen, or politicians, but with the men and women...who have banished pretense from their lives.

One by one they go forth, affecting by their presence the way we think and act. They are the light of the world. Like a city set on a hill, they can not be hid. ~ Richard Bode, Beachcombing at Miramar

9/1/05

I wonder how much time is left to me. Another minute, another hour, another day? I may collapse before I reach my beach house and take my last breath right here on the sands at Miramar. I may have another lifetime ahead of me; I may live to be twice the age I am now. I have no way of knowing, and it would not matter if I did. The only thing that matters is that I do not capitulate to fear.

I realize now that I have a task that is greater than all the labors assigned to Hercules. It demands that I live in the richness of this moment because that is all I have or will ever know. It is only when I am fully conscious of the finite nature of my life that I begin to live. The instant I let go of that awareness, I submit to pettiness and drudgery, and the precious seconds slip away. ~ Richard Bode, Beachcombing at Miramar