Sometimes it's a serious struggle to stay above the waves. Take this last month. Congress passed a bill that gives the president the power to waive the right of Habeas Corpus for U.S. citizens and foreign nationals that are deemed a threat to national security. Deemed so without need of proof, BTW. The New York Times reports that CO2 emissions into the atmosphere have skyrocketed. And Europe may be about to crumble economically. And just about everyone I know is out of work. And the 29 Palms Band of Indians wants to put a casino in my town...and the Dollar General Corporation (owned by Citigroup and Goldman Sachs who helped bring us The Great Depression #2) wants to put a Big Ugly Box that sells crap made in China in my resolutely rustic town....and and and.
But then I go make some paintings in my studio and feel so fortunate that I can go make some paintings in my studio. This is of course another kind of struggle...but it's the kind that tells me the truth about myself and my relationship to the world. And then I go to a weekly meeting where a group of extremely dedicated community members are organizing a big event that will bring people together to begin the serious business of planning our community's transition to a sustainable life. I look around that meeting table and see genius, love, dedication and tremendous excitement. And then I feel my head pop up above the crashing waves.
I totally relate to this. When all else is uncertain and the news of the day gets me down, I find comfort and contentment when I go into the studio/woodshop - and I'm thankful that I am lucky enough and healthy enough to even be able to do that. Working with the material...making something that someone else can use or that brightens their day somehow...this regrounds me in the world.
ReplyDeleteAnd to see community come together in different ways....to see signs that people are taking control of how they live, work, share, and communicate....putting the emphasis back in the local and resisting Big Box...that's enlightenment and hope.
Thanks for posting.
Cheers,
Matt
Jill if I could, then I'd choose you to teach me to paint. The progress of your portraits and the results are astounding. Who knows what the future holds after we retire from work and get caught up with our respective homesteads; maybe even private lessons in your studio. It's a small hope that I hold in my spirit, if the planets align in a way that makes it so.
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