What is the secret?
Saying good bye to perfectionism
Being able to be vulnerable
And share your shortcomings or problems
Not being afraid of being judged
With that comes freedom
Freedom to be who you really are
Freedom to break the heavy masks of pretention
With that comes serenity, peacefulness
With that comes feeling light, having nothing to hide
With that comes authentic friendships which bring you joy
This is the secret
February 23, 2024
To write or to draw?
It shouldn’t be a choice
But there are only so many hours in the day
And when something is new
I want to pay the most attention to it
So, I draw in the morning
Sometimes I draw at night
That blank page is so inviting
The possibilities endless
It’s the imagination’s playground
Who knows what I can create
Black and white or colour?
Inspired by something I see on the internet or something within myself
The process is exciting and relaxing at the same time
Exciting to create and see the final result
Relaxing to doodle and draw lines
I’m thankful for the inspiration to write and to draw
Feb 13, 2024
In taking the road less traveled
Risk is involved
The path is unknown
The result uncertain
Who chooses this path?
Someone who longs for adventure
Someone who does not color within the lines
Someone who doesn’t need to be right every time
Someone who has faith
Someone who is curious
The road less traveled can have many rewards
For the one dares to go where many others have not
Jan 22, 2024
Watching TV on mute
Does anyone else do that?
A couple of people in my family do
I guess you have to be a visual person
Not to need the audio so much
Sometimes over breakfast
The TV is on and a cooking show is in progress
And we make comments as we watch
-That is a huge steak she is cooking
-It could feed fifteen people
-I don’t like steak
-Look like it’s medium rare
-Not quite cooked inside
-Oh, now she is cutting thin slices to make a sandwich
-The sub style sandwich is so big
-What size mouth do you need to eat that?
-I don’t like chewing my meet for so long
The lady keeps smiling
And moving her lips
And we have no idea what she is saying
But we get the general idea
By the way most of those comments were made by me
When there is no audio, I add mine
January 25, 2024
It’s during challenging times that we can show who we are
How strong we can be
How resilient we are
Captaining a ship in calm waters
Can be done easily
The skilled captain can guide ships during stormy times
When we face illness and suffering in our lives
How we copes demonstrates who we are
Can we be content during the challenges of life?
Can we be magnanimous and continue to serve and create?
Athletes prepare themselves for competition
We need to prepare ourselves for the tests of life
January 19, 2024
These are the lazy days of January
The world is frozen outside
A layer of snow making everything white
The days are shorter
And the sun is shy
We have to bring the light from within us
We have to warm up our surroundings with love
There are always things to be thankful for
Things we take for granted until they are gone
Being in good health
Having good friends who care
Living in a peaceful society
The warmth of the family
Every time I want to complain
I remind myself to count my blessings
And be grateful
January 16, 20224
In the company of fellow artists
I enjoy my conversations with them
“Oh, yes that’s exactly how I feel”
“That is a great point!”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself!”
These conversations bring me joy
Expand my knowledge
Touch my soul
To talk to an artist is healing
Because art is healing
And helps us connect
“Art is a window to the spiritual world”
We need to connect to the spiritual world
Draw on its power
But uplifted by it
Be enveloped in its warmth
“We are spiritual beings having a human experience”
Thank you to my fellow artist for accompanying me
On my path of exploring my creativity
I’m grateful for their input
I would talk to an artist anytime, anywhere
It’s like talking to my brother or sister
Dec 18, 2023
There are no mountains without earthquakes
Tell me about your earthquake
Tell me what caused you to become a majestic mountain
Holding your head high
Yet as humble as the earth of which you are made of
The challenges of our lives
Like earthquakes
Disrupt the normal state of affairs
They reshape the landscape of our spirit
With a thunderous roar
They destroy the structures present
But in their wake
Arise magnificent mountains
A testament to the pain of destruction
And the rise of new formations
Dec 3, 2024
@fennellcheryl on instagram
Tell me about native spirituality I asked
It’s all about living in harmony with each other, animals and plants and the natural world
We are all one family
Here, we grow spiritually by being kind, serving others and working for peace and unity
In the other worlds of God we continue to grow
Life and death are on the same continuum
The spirit is constant in both
We need to thank the creator for his bounties
We need to keep our oceans and rivers clean
We need to hunt sustainably
And we need to heal from the wrongs done to us in the past
Art can play an important role in this healing
Art can bring people together and increase understanding
Art can build a bridge between cultures
These are all aspects of living spiritually
Nov 29th, 2023
In conversation with Cheryl Fennell, artist and designer @fennellcheryl
“Creativity is free play with no rules”
This speaks to me
This frees me to be who I am
To create what I want
Not to judge myself or my work
Creating should be fun, not a burden
Creating should bring us joy
Rules create restrictions
And creativity needs freedom
When we create
There is no right or wrong
What we create is a reflection of who we are
Others may not understand it
Or may be critical of it
But that should not discourage us
What we create is valuable at all times
Sometimes the finished work may not be what we expected
Sometimes we learn a lesson we can apply later
But continuing to create is the way to success
Success in sharing our voice
Success in being a conduit for the forces of the universe
So, let’s play
Let’s create and be joyful
Let’s not worry about rules
As they say, rules are made to be broken
There would be no innovation
If everyone kept doing the same thing
November 8, 2023
*Rick Rubin
Po
lida's musings 