random observations, thoughts on life, humorous stories....from the studio while I paint.
Favorites
Posted 08/05/2010 at 12:18 AM by superkat
It's too hot in the studio tonight...and I've been working on some interesting pieces...that I won't unveil until I am sure i like them...but I was inspired by my daughter's love of Jackson Pollock. I am pretty sure that there are at least two people who will want one of these...or all of them. So I'm waiting until I am sure the results are what I intended.
Meanwhile...I turn to another canvas...one that Sky Sands told me I had...and that is putting words to print.
I was sitting outside on my driveway looking up at the stars...looking for a few early arrivals to the Persiad Meteor Shower...and admired my willow tree...faintly illuminated by the street lamp. It is my favorite tree in the yard. Not for any one particular reason...but ALL the reasons combined.
It got me thinking about favorites. The definition states that it is a person or thing regarded with special preference. So..in other words...between the Rose of Sharon and the Willow tree in the front yard...which one would stay if one had to go? Which one would have that "special preference". I'd pick the Willow, even though it hasn't been in the yard for as long as the Rose of Sharon because there is more meaning behind that tree than the other. The willow also provides shade...is easily "fragged" (btw...if anyone wants a baby willow...let me know. I have 3 ready to go) and when the wind blows...it doesn't drop a bunch of itself on the ground.
My mother had a favorite. I know, Moms really shouldn't do that...be we all knew it was my brother Tom...she didn't hide it very well. And when it came right down to it...he really deserved to be the favorite for a lot of reasons. And we are all okay with that.
So it is with friends. You can have a lot of friends...or even a few...but in reality...they all exist on certain levels..and those levels can change throughout your life. I choose my friends like I choose my trees, i guess. Which one is the most appealing...which one provides me with something tangible...which one withstands the wind and doesn't drop pieces of itself on the ground under that pressure? Who provides me with shade when the heat is on? Who can be a sturdy fixture in my yard and still gently brush its leaves against my skin? Who can cradle a meaning in its branches...like the death of a child...unknown to the world...private to some...meaningful to one...substantial to some part of the human emotion....does it matter that it has only been a part of my life for a short time? No.
We plant trees as we plant friends. They start out small and over time they grow into what they will...and sometimes the end is not quite what we expected. I love my Rose of Sharon...the beautiful flowers...it is something of beauty to behold. But that is a superficial thing...beauty. For truly...beauty is sometimes false. The most beautiful woman in the world may not have that within her...for whatever reason...it wasn't there to begin with, or someone or something robbed her of it during her lifetime. Every single person is beautiful in my eyes. Because if you look hard enough...you can find it. I never gave up on my willow tree...you see...when I first planted it...I waited on that tree hand and foot...I did everything for that tree...I fertilized it...TOO MUCH....and it started to die. When I stripped away all the unnecessary actions and stuck to the basics...is when the tree thrived. For a few months..the tree looked dead..and yet the branches were still flexible...and i waited...and i never gave up. It wasn't easy bringing that tree back to life...but one morning I got up...and there it was...little green shoots. That was two years ago...and this summer that tree shot up...even with a brutal pruning, it has survived and has become quite the talk of the people who walk up and down my street.
Friends are like that. Dote on them..give them too much...they could die...but stand back and let them live on their own..and never give up? That's when they will provide you with the means necessary to make that choice of "favorites" should the need ever arise.
I have favorites. And I tell them so. It's nice to say...it's nice to hear...and I will never be ashamed that when my brother moved out...I became Mom's favorite.
Things change. Time has a way of blowing the wind in a different direction...and when it does...my willow tree bends its branches...and regains ALL OF ITSELF when the wind subsides. Take a look at your friends...who is there when the wind subsides? Who is consistent? Who has their favorite place in your garden? Don't be afraid to tell them.....because sometimes...people really need to hear that.
Cheers.
Meanwhile...I turn to another canvas...one that Sky Sands told me I had...and that is putting words to print.
I was sitting outside on my driveway looking up at the stars...looking for a few early arrivals to the Persiad Meteor Shower...and admired my willow tree...faintly illuminated by the street lamp. It is my favorite tree in the yard. Not for any one particular reason...but ALL the reasons combined.
It got me thinking about favorites. The definition states that it is a person or thing regarded with special preference. So..in other words...between the Rose of Sharon and the Willow tree in the front yard...which one would stay if one had to go? Which one would have that "special preference". I'd pick the Willow, even though it hasn't been in the yard for as long as the Rose of Sharon because there is more meaning behind that tree than the other. The willow also provides shade...is easily "fragged" (btw...if anyone wants a baby willow...let me know. I have 3 ready to go) and when the wind blows...it doesn't drop a bunch of itself on the ground.
My mother had a favorite. I know, Moms really shouldn't do that...be we all knew it was my brother Tom...she didn't hide it very well. And when it came right down to it...he really deserved to be the favorite for a lot of reasons. And we are all okay with that.
So it is with friends. You can have a lot of friends...or even a few...but in reality...they all exist on certain levels..and those levels can change throughout your life. I choose my friends like I choose my trees, i guess. Which one is the most appealing...which one provides me with something tangible...which one withstands the wind and doesn't drop pieces of itself on the ground under that pressure? Who provides me with shade when the heat is on? Who can be a sturdy fixture in my yard and still gently brush its leaves against my skin? Who can cradle a meaning in its branches...like the death of a child...unknown to the world...private to some...meaningful to one...substantial to some part of the human emotion....does it matter that it has only been a part of my life for a short time? No.
We plant trees as we plant friends. They start out small and over time they grow into what they will...and sometimes the end is not quite what we expected. I love my Rose of Sharon...the beautiful flowers...it is something of beauty to behold. But that is a superficial thing...beauty. For truly...beauty is sometimes false. The most beautiful woman in the world may not have that within her...for whatever reason...it wasn't there to begin with, or someone or something robbed her of it during her lifetime. Every single person is beautiful in my eyes. Because if you look hard enough...you can find it. I never gave up on my willow tree...you see...when I first planted it...I waited on that tree hand and foot...I did everything for that tree...I fertilized it...TOO MUCH....and it started to die. When I stripped away all the unnecessary actions and stuck to the basics...is when the tree thrived. For a few months..the tree looked dead..and yet the branches were still flexible...and i waited...and i never gave up. It wasn't easy bringing that tree back to life...but one morning I got up...and there it was...little green shoots. That was two years ago...and this summer that tree shot up...even with a brutal pruning, it has survived and has become quite the talk of the people who walk up and down my street.
Friends are like that. Dote on them..give them too much...they could die...but stand back and let them live on their own..and never give up? That's when they will provide you with the means necessary to make that choice of "favorites" should the need ever arise.
I have favorites. And I tell them so. It's nice to say...it's nice to hear...and I will never be ashamed that when my brother moved out...I became Mom's favorite.
Things change. Time has a way of blowing the wind in a different direction...and when it does...my willow tree bends its branches...and regains ALL OF ITSELF when the wind subsides. Take a look at your friends...who is there when the wind subsides? Who is consistent? Who has their favorite place in your garden? Don't be afraid to tell them.....because sometimes...people really need to hear that.
Cheers.
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