Drawing, painting,
and writing
always turn my eyes towards what might seem ordinary,
and transforms it
into the star of the show,
the diamond under glass . . .
choosing to highlight the existence of something
and bring it to the forefront
always
puts me in the position
of seeing it in a different way.
Just as you put a vase of flowers
in the middle of the kitchen table,
the subject of a drawing
becomes the focal point . . .
that diamond under glass,
whether it be an old barn,
a walkway to nowhere,
a tire leaning against a rust, old gas pump,
or a drawer full of sewing supplies.
All of these things
gain status
and draw our eyes into the story of them,
no matter if it is obvious
or not.
That’s why I love to pick odd little vignettes
and give them life,
so that the viewer
might take a second look.
Finding the spark of life in something
is a challenge,
but is inspiring
once I have made a habit of it.
That’s why I keep doing it.
It makes my heart feel happy
that I can draw attention to love,
where it was not seen before. ♥
La chispa translates literally to “the spark” in Spanish.
It is highly versatile and used in several colloquial and figurative ways:
Literal Spark: A flash of fire, an electrical spark, or a small flame.
Romantic Spark: The sudden connection or chemistry between two people.
Wit / Humor: Denoting someone who is charismatic, funny, or clever (e.g., “tiene mucha chispa” means they are very witty).
A Tiny Amount: Used similarly to “a pinch” or “a bit” (e.g., “una chispa de sal”)
Slightly Drunk: In Spain, estar chispa means to be tipsy
Wow!
This is a better description
than the one I found . . .
thanks for giving me so many to choose from,
dear Michele. 🙂
3
Carol Ann Conner
2 weeks ago
My immigrant neighbor has taught me that the things that are ordinary to me are extra ordinary to her. We are gifted with so many material things in this country. Today’s question makes me realize how much I take for granted.
I couldn’t agree with you more,
dear Carol Ann . . .
when I was about 12
we had two immigrants from Yugoslavia
stay with us,
and it was a wonder
to share their amazement
at what their new lives had to offer them. ♥
I spent the vast majority of my life, altering my perception through smoking the sacred herb.
And as much as it held me back and limited me, it also gave me permission to look at things through a different lens. It allowed me see things a little altered. Kind of new again. It helped me to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. I thought of it as a tool, but now I think that it was more of a crutch.
It turns out, that I have the ability to see things through different lenses, without the help of a substance. It was there all along. Sort of my child’s mind. That curious and eager mindset of my younger self. Sometimes this is quite literally through a different lens, as I look through my camera and take photos and videos. Allowing me to go to the place of light and shadow and shape and composition and color and juxtaposition.
Much like the Richard Rohr video that Carol Ann sent me, yesterday. He talks about the right and left brain thinking. I think pondering spirituality is similar. Switching my thinking from the left side to the right side. The more I do this, the more I see.
Of course,
dear Charlie,
mind altering substances
can help you see from other perspectives,
but you are wise
to have learned to see this way on your own.
They are only meant to be helpers,
after all,
and not replacements.
It must bring you some joy now
that you can find the extraordinary
in what otherwise might be considered ordinary
in so many things! ♥
Thank you for your flexible mindset which I guess a many of kindred hearts might remember from childhood. Slowly I feel like possibly being able, or may be I should say be allowed, to open up again to this natural way of being in this world, to being curious and flexible in perceiving the world as you described it, which opens up to perceive the extraordinary in the so-called ordinary almost wherever I go. It really is a matter of opening up to it again, which feels like opening up again to the wonder of it all. Your post is immedeately inspiring to me, almost unexpected, I must say, as I felt so sad for what seemed to have been lost since so long. It feels like some air under my soul´s wings, inspiring to turning again to deeper meditation and to music, which I really long for but could not go deeper for a long time. Thank you dearly, Charlie.
Charlie, Your reference to the child’s mind touched me deeply. We mess with their little minds way too much and then they have to learn to separate weeds from the plants. Or, in some cases realize the things they call weeds are really nurturing plants!
A while back I listened to a podcast interview with the author of Urban Jungle, which is about plant life in cities. I think that’s where I learned the term “spontaneous vegetation” to use instead of “weed”. Just because a human didn’t plant it doesn’t mean it has no value, as you say.
I notice in me transformation of attitude, mood, appreciation, independence as well as inter-dependence. It stirs up both humility and worth of myself in the grand scheme of things.
When you really consider it and realize that we truly know nothing, everything could be extra ordinary. The mind is a powerhouse. What you feed it, that is the reality it will create.
How the delicate and utterly sensitive nature of a flower appears in an instant in all its timeless beauty when being tenderly perceived through the eye of the heart when the sun shines through.
This morning, I notice the modern marvels. My computer is extraordinary–I’m somehow communicating with you through it, and receiving endless information. Cars are extraordinary, plying freeways to get us to faraway places. It’s funny how such things seem ordinary, but they’re really not.
I saw a meme yesterday that showed a dandelion and related it to the sun, then the moon, then scattered by the wind like stars. An extraordinary cycle from something so simple as a “weed”.
I have enjoyed learning to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Really, the ordinary IS so extraordinary… the way a plant can go from 4 leaves to 20 in just a short week, like my Japanese hibiscus did while we were away. Or the way my snake plant had a baby just sprout up one day. Or perhaps when I feel something different while in meditation or practicing yoga asanas. Something I’ve done for many years can suddenly give me a big Ah-Ha! And then I notice something about myself. A deeper peace, a bigger love, a feeling of true connection with all that is.
Amen to that, Michele. Appreciate the simpler pleasures. For example, I prefer nurturing and autonomous care but can embrace protective too. Ultimately, care is just care.
The beauty of flight. The beauty of color. The sight of about 40 yellow warblers, 20 pairs by color variations, eating dandelion seeds in the hay meadows yesterday. It rained 0.25″ last evening. It was an ordinary rain but extraordinary to feel and watch. Agua es Vida.
All those warblers,
dear Joseph,
must have been quite a sight . . .
I am always enchanted by different ways that birds fly,
and how they fill the sky with their joy.
I see those yellow warblers now,
dining on those dandelion seeds
through your eyes.
Thank you for that. ♥
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Drawing, painting,
and writing
always turn my eyes towards what might seem ordinary,
and transforms it
into the star of the show,
the diamond under glass . . .
choosing to highlight the existence of something
and bring it to the forefront
always
puts me in the position
of seeing it in a different way.
Just as you put a vase of flowers
in the middle of the kitchen table,
the subject of a drawing
becomes the focal point . . .
that diamond under glass,
whether it be an old barn,
a walkway to nowhere,
a tire leaning against a rust, old gas pump,
or a drawer full of sewing supplies.
All of these things
gain status
and draw our eyes into the story of them,
no matter if it is obvious
or not.
That’s why I love to pick odd little vignettes
and give them life,
so that the viewer
might take a second look.
Finding the spark of life in something
is a challenge,
but is inspiring
once I have made a habit of it.
That’s why I keep doing it.
It makes my heart feel happy
that I can draw attention to love,
where it was not seen before. ♥
La chispa. All life possesses this. Thanks for the reminder, dear Sparrow.
La chispa . . . . a word for all occasions!
‘La chiispa’ . . .
I had to g**gle this one,
dear Joseph . . .
what is ‘the chip’?
La chispa translates literally to “the spark” in Spanish.
It is highly versatile and used in several colloquial and figurative ways:
Literal Spark: A flash of fire, an electrical spark, or a small flame.
Romantic Spark: The sudden connection or chemistry between two people.
Wit / Humor: Denoting someone who is charismatic, funny, or clever (e.g., “tiene mucha chispa” means they are very witty).
A Tiny Amount: Used similarly to “a pinch” or “a bit” (e.g., “una chispa de sal”)
Slightly Drunk: In Spain, estar chispa means to be tipsy
Wow!
This is a better description
than the one I found . . .
thanks for giving me so many to choose from,
dear Michele. 🙂
My immigrant neighbor has taught me that the things that are ordinary to me are extra ordinary to her. We are gifted with so many material things in this country. Today’s question makes me realize how much I take for granted.
My two Cuban friends/former co-workers taught me a lot about that too.
I couldn’t agree with you more,
dear Carol Ann . . .
when I was about 12
we had two immigrants from Yugoslavia
stay with us,
and it was a wonder
to share their amazement
at what their new lives had to offer them. ♥
I spent the vast majority of my life, altering my perception through smoking the sacred herb.
And as much as it held me back and limited me, it also gave me permission to look at things through a different lens. It allowed me see things a little altered. Kind of new again. It helped me to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. I thought of it as a tool, but now I think that it was more of a crutch.
It turns out, that I have the ability to see things through different lenses, without the help of a substance. It was there all along. Sort of my child’s mind. That curious and eager mindset of my younger self. Sometimes this is quite literally through a different lens, as I look through my camera and take photos and videos. Allowing me to go to the place of light and shadow and shape and composition and color and juxtaposition.
Much like the Richard Rohr video that Carol Ann sent me, yesterday. He talks about the right and left brain thinking. I think pondering spirituality is similar. Switching my thinking from the left side to the right side. The more I do this, the more I see.
To paraphrase something, I heard; Once you tell a child the name of a bird, they never see that bird again.
Yes to the child’s mind, Charlie.
Of course,
dear Charlie,
mind altering substances
can help you see from other perspectives,
but you are wise
to have learned to see this way on your own.
They are only meant to be helpers,
after all,
and not replacements.
It must bring you some joy now
that you can find the extraordinary
in what otherwise might be considered ordinary
in so many things! ♥
Thank you for your flexible mindset which I guess a many of kindred hearts might remember from childhood. Slowly I feel like possibly being able, or may be I should say be allowed, to open up again to this natural way of being in this world, to being curious and flexible in perceiving the world as you described it, which opens up to perceive the extraordinary in the so-called ordinary almost wherever I go. It really is a matter of opening up to it again, which feels like opening up again to the wonder of it all. Your post is immedeately inspiring to me, almost unexpected, I must say, as I felt so sad for what seemed to have been lost since so long. It feels like some air under my soul´s wings, inspiring to turning again to deeper meditation and to music, which I really long for but could not go deeper for a long time. Thank you dearly, Charlie.
Charlie, Your reference to the child’s mind touched me deeply. We mess with their little minds way too much and then they have to learn to separate weeds from the plants. Or, in some cases realize the things they call weeds are really nurturing plants!
A while back I listened to a podcast interview with the author of Urban Jungle, which is about plant life in cities. I think that’s where I learned the term “spontaneous vegetation” to use instead of “weed”. Just because a human didn’t plant it doesn’t mean it has no value, as you say.
I notice in me transformation of attitude, mood, appreciation, independence as well as inter-dependence. It stirs up both humility and worth of myself in the grand scheme of things.
Thank you, dear Katrina. I can only second this for myself also. Deeply grateful.
When you really consider it and realize that we truly know nothing, everything could be extra ordinary. The mind is a powerhouse. What you feed it, that is the reality it will create.
. . . and the variety of what you feed it,
dear Valerie,
can open you up
to other ways of seeing. ♥
How the delicate and utterly sensitive nature of a flower appears in an instant in all its timeless beauty when being tenderly perceived through the eye of the heart when the sun shines through.
“The eye of the heart”. ❤️
This morning, I notice the modern marvels. My computer is extraordinary–I’m somehow communicating with you through it, and receiving endless information. Cars are extraordinary, plying freeways to get us to faraway places. It’s funny how such things seem ordinary, but they’re really not.
Just how miraculous life and nature truly are.
I saw a meme yesterday that showed a dandelion and related it to the sun, then the moon, then scattered by the wind like stars. An extraordinary cycle from something so simple as a “weed”.
if you do a search for ‘dandelion meme sun moon wind’ you can see images of it
thank you for sharing Deann 🌞🌙⭐
Weeds
are people too,
dear Deann. 🙂
That’s beautiful, thank you for sharing, Deann.
I have enjoyed learning to see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Really, the ordinary IS so extraordinary… the way a plant can go from 4 leaves to 20 in just a short week, like my Japanese hibiscus did while we were away. Or the way my snake plant had a baby just sprout up one day. Or perhaps when I feel something different while in meditation or practicing yoga asanas. Something I’ve done for many years can suddenly give me a big Ah-Ha! And then I notice something about myself. A deeper peace, a bigger love, a feeling of true connection with all that is.
Had to look up Japanese hibiscus–wow! That’s a stunning flower.
I become grateful for whatever I have in front of me.
Life teaches us to enjoy the simple ‘ordinary’ things. If something comes along that is ‘extraordinary’ fine but ordinary brings joy also.
I finally got around to watching Eat.Pray.Love. – was excellent!
Did you read the book ?
no, I did not.
Amen to that, Michele. Appreciate the simpler pleasures. For example, I prefer nurturing and autonomous care but can embrace protective too. Ultimately, care is just care.
💗
OMG, I love that movie so much! I watched it so many times after I left my ex 😂But seriously, what a great story. The book was really good, too.
To me it was very similar to Under The Tuscan Sun which I loved too.
The beauty of flight. The beauty of color. The sight of about 40 yellow warblers, 20 pairs by color variations, eating dandelion seeds in the hay meadows yesterday. It rained 0.25″ last evening. It was an ordinary rain but extraordinary to feel and watch. Agua es Vida.
All those warblers,
dear Joseph,
must have been quite a sight . . .
I am always enchanted by different ways that birds fly,
and how they fill the sky with their joy.
I see those yellow warblers now,
dining on those dandelion seeds
through your eyes.
Thank you for that. ♥
ps. Grateful you got a little rain too.
Fantastic new about the rain ! ☔️
I think you should write a book your writing is so eloquent.
♥
A co-authored book by Sparrow and Joseph, too!
Sounds like you saw some beautiful things, Joseph. Happy to hear about the rain.
I notice the essence of oneness in all – the individual is the whole and the whole is the individual – no separation.
Thank you . 🤩
I noticed that I have increased enthusiasm for what I am doing.
Yes, this!
Thanks Richard it makes me feel the same way and also that I’m constantly connected. We all matter so this enthusiasm is making a difference!