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Ever have a week of Mondayzzz's?  You know, those days that regardless what you do, how careful you try to be, it seems like you are all thumbs and your shoelaces are tied together.

IMG_20160603_203324230 Walking down the street really not thinking of anything, just feeling the frustration, I see this sign. As I read the sign, I'm thinking 'that's not right. That's not supposed to be what it says'.   I may not know what it is supposed to say, but I do know what it's not supposed to say.   So I stop in my tracks and stood there, staring at the sign slightly confused for a moment. Then a thought entered my mind. Does this describe me? Is this where I was headed on a day I planned to be in the studio creating a painting, but instead was out here looking at a sign that was criticizing me for it?   One thing I realized as I started walking again. That message has no future in it.

Electric Summer     If my above painting sums up your attitude for the day, concentrate on moving forward. Take a comb and brush and create beautiful hair, take a canvas and paint and create beautiful art. Take the day and do something different and create a beautiful memory. If you can do none of the above, then just go smile at someone, let them wonder what you've been up to. Anything is better than wasting away in a chair or walking aimlessly down a street thinking I "Don't Care".   When we do care is when progress is made and things get done.   A Wise Man Once Said: "If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame." Even if it is yourself.

Does everyone get the same message from what they see or hear, or do we misinterpret more than we realize?

Recently I watched a movie on TV with Morgan Freeman in his younger years as the lead character.  My wife who was in another room   asked me what I was watching.  As I started to answer, I began to question myself.  If I say I was watching an old Morgan Freemen movie, would she interpret that as the movie being old or that Morgan Freeman was old, which he wasn't in this movie.  I could be meaning the former, but her hearing the latter.

Thinking back on this, I began thinking about how easy it is for people who see and hear the same thing to have differing views.   Why?, because we are individuals with different experiences which play a large part in how we think and react to even the same event.  Clarity, it seems, has never been a strong suit among humans as seen in misunderstanding, misinterpretation, misuse, and a range of other ''mis'es'' that drives us in different directions.  It does play an important role in some things more than others.  Take art for instance.  I don't think art is meant to be viewed in a singular way.  The more interpretations drawn from one painting, the greater the success, at least in my opinion.  Take my painting below for example.

......that gives it so much appeal.

Isn't it amazing how an image can ignite a flood of memories racing through our minds of people, places or things

recently or decades ago.  Have any 'kitchen table' memories you can share?  Feel free to comment.

y grandson always wanted to be a part of my wife's cooking.  Even when he was 5 years old he would be in the kitchen with her "helping" any way he could.  Baking cookies or a complete meal, it didn't matter.  He wanted to be a part  whenever we were together.  He's in his thirties now and loves to cook.  He asked my wife if she would put together a book of recipes in her own handwriting, which she patiently did over a span of months.  Likely couldn't have given him anything he cherishes more.  Asked if there was a secret ingredient she may have left out, she told him, the secret ingredient is love.  He sent her this recently.

Indeed, love intermingled with what we do makes a difference.  As a cook, my wife put her love in every meal which could be felt by all who sat at the table.  As an artist, I attempt to put the love of what I do in every piece of art I create.  Every scene, every portrait is special to me as something I wanted to capture for all time, to share a little of myself with others.  Sure, there are times of frustration when things are not going smoothly, but adjusting, correcting, rethinking are all things borne from the love of what I do.  

What if we don't love what we do?  Well, we may accomplish the task, but it will never be quite as good as if we had used the secret  ingredient.  I have found if I concentrate on the positive rather than the negative, not only will I accomplish more, I am also happier.  So whether items from a recipe,  paint on canvas, or any other 'tool' we may use in life to share ourselves with others, always add the secret ingredient to why we do it, because we love what we do.

A wise man once said:  "People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said-but-they will always remember how you made them feel".

Happy Valentines Day! 

I welcome your thoughts and comments.