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Lessons of nature

Last week was an intense time in the studio. I challenged myself by hosting an opening for guests to the Salon at the end of the week. This prompted a flurry of activity, including using a new technique to finish several new artworks that combine encaustic and Hanji.

The opening came and went in a blur. I felt great about the work I completed and received lots of positive feedback from my guests.

A few days later I found myself on the street walking at dusk. This is not my usual time to walk, but after dinner I felt I had more unwinding to do from the previous week’s activity. I took my regular route through the familiar neighborhood streets and returned back to downtown Salida just as it was growing dark. By this time I felt relaxed, taking note of the lights and buildings coming into view. I began to think of my day coming up and my plans for the studio.

In the next minute I heard a familiar sound. It was the honking of Canadian geese in the sky overhead. By this time I was among the downtown streetlights. I looked up and saw a perfect V-form of geese flying overhead.

The sight stopped my mind’s chatter. A much-contested election is taking a lot of people’s energy here in our town. I spend a lot of time thinking about the artwork I want to create and the message it will send. Here the geese are doing what they have done for centuries. Who am I to keep planning? Nature continues. Just let it flow.