Category: Outside the Box

I did get over wondering if there were monsters under my bed. Actually, it was skinny scary wolves that I thought were under mine. (Thanks, Walt, for that one.) Anyway, they are gone. Phew! I have a strong dislike for spiders, and heights make me uncomfortable, but none of these things are what I find truly scary. I think if I’m afraid of anything, it’s a fear of not being all I was meant to be. Some days it’s like I feel that sand slipping through the hour glass, and I’m slipping down with it. To use a common expression, I don’t want to die without singing my song. And I also hope that in some way, I can encourage you to sing your song too. This world will be glad if you do. And it’s worthwhile to note, your song may be in the creative, and more importantly, it will also be found in the way you show love for those around you in big and small ways. /  What fears have you conquered? I hope there’s nothing still under your bed – except maybe some fluffy dust bunnies. 

  A fascinating sculpture made from 2 step ladders, discarded wood, and projected light. Gee, I thought it was good when I could make a duck shadow with my fingers 🙂 

I think women have always known this. The real secret to genius is …. CHOCOLATE! Here’s the tongue in cheek (or is that chocolate in cheek?) article link: The Secret to Genius – It Just Might Be More Chocolate. And thanks to Skinny Artist for posting this on Facebook. 

 

Today’s post is for all cat lovers. The painting “Cat’s Night Out” is for sale on Cheryl O’s website (minus the quote). 

Because it made me laugh… here’s the link: The “Make Everything OK” Button and once you are on that page, click the button to see what happens. 

Life happens fast. Really fast. And it seems that the older you get, the faster time goes. How do we respond to that? For those who want some measure of contentment at the end of each day, part of the answer is to live thoughtfully. What does that look like – the thoughtful life? Here are some things that I would put on that list: 1. Think about your strengths. Figure out where you need to be to use your strengths to be of the most benefit – for yourself and for others. Work on making your strengths even stronger. Work on blessing more people because we don’t go through this life as an island. The old Simon and Garfunkel song had that one wrong. /  2. Think about your weaknesses. How much do they hold you back? If not at all, perhaps they don’t matter. But if they are holding you back from being the best you can be, then you need to think about working on overcoming. Be courageous, even if it’s in baby steps. Think about what those baby steps would look like. /  3. Think about those you admire who touch your life, and why you admire them. Encourage them. Do you want to learn to be more like them? /  4. Connect with those who have very different views and ways than your own. Listen to and respect them. It’s too easy to connect only with those who think the same. Make your life richer by seeing that there are many diverse ways of journeying through this world. /  5. This one is so essential. If you can only remember one out of this list, pick this one because the others are not likely to happen without it. Regularly seek the silence. In our world every minute can be filled with texts and emails, entertainment, work, and constant mind numbing input. How will you find time to think about your life unless you make a very intentional effort to do so? /  More and more I am convinced that if we don’t think hard about our life, time will run us over with all the subtlety of a windshield meeting a bug. For myself, as I struggle to apply the above points in my own life, I have found 2 actions particularly helpful – reading and praying. I highly recommend both. In tomorrow’s blog, I’ll look at how these 5 points can be applied to creating art as well. What do you think? What have I missed about living thoughtfully that you would add to this list? Your comments are most welcome. 

This one is for artists: What do you get when you cook Raw Sienna paint? (You can comment below.)