Lens

 

What's your lens?

I've written about it before, but we all see through a lens made up of our experiences, history, culture. It helps to be aware of it so we can understand our own biases. 

We can adjust our lens by connecting with others, whether in person, or through reading, or listening, or watching movies. When we connect, we can widen our lens to see from another's perspective - growing in empathy. 

On a purely arty note, I was incredibly pleased with this page that came together in just a few minutes. It's funny how that can happen, isn't it?

Making a difference

 

You can still make a difference. 

Following on in my thinking about a small and quiet life, no matter what you spend your time doing, you can still make a difference in somebody's life. Small acts of service over the course of time add up. They may seem small, maybe even insignificant, to you, but to the person on the receiving end they are kind and encouraging and of greater value than you might imagine. 

You heard them. You saw them. You cared enough to do something about it.

Let's keep tipping the scales with small - and big - acts of kindness.

Small and quiet life

 

So I took an unintentional break from posting. Life happened and posting didn't. 🤷

I find that a lot of my pages at the moment are about a small and quiet life. I find the days following on from each other without much happening except the mundanities of life. And there's nothing wrong with that! A small and quiet life has much to recommend it. We don't all have to do 'big' things. If we did, they wouldn't be 'big' any more. Someone has to do the everyday every day - the cooking, the washing, the cleaning. Sharing a meal with someone, connecting with them, nurturing each other, these are important things. They just aren't necessarily valued as they should be. 

So go and enjoy the small things. Breathe in the fresh air. Feel the sun on your face, the breeze in your hair. Smile at someone. It makes a difference.

Sharing stories

 

Sharing stories.

Spending time with people is always fun. We start to share our stories and find those things that we have in common, and those where we are very different. It isn't until we open up and share our stories that we start to understand each other. When we understand each other better, we can see where certain behaviours come from. Particular reactions to some situations start to make more sense. When we understand personal stories we are better able to be forgiving, to not take things personally, and to have compassion.

More big pieces

 

I have found my self working on bigger pieces of paper again this week. This particular piece is making me very happy. I love the palette, but also those small marks on the black. I also wonder whether the black marks that I made to express emotion have an effect even though some of them have been obscured. When we let ourselves show up in our work it somehow feels more authentic. It's hard to describe how this works with abstract pieces, but just think about how some art speaks to your heart and some just doesn't. 

I'm still analysing why I like this piece better than some of the others I've made this week. Still exploring.

Taking a breath

 

It's okay to stop and catch your breath.

When you climb a mountain you expect to stop at intervals and catch your breath. After all, the air gets thinner and you need to adjust.

So why do we sometimes feel that we have to keep going in other situations? 

It's okay to take it slowly, to pause, to take stock. After all, pausing doesn't make you go backwards; it just means that for a short time you're not going forwards. But not going forwards is not the same as not making any progress. Pausing and catching your breath is preparing yourself for the rest of the journey. Pausing for a while may actually help you to complete the project quicker in the long run because you've gathered the necessary resources. 

So be kind to yourself and catch your breath when you need to.