Broken Heart? Make Art

I have been thinking a lot about Meryl Steep’s speech at the Golden Globes - not the whole thing, just that last line, “As my friend, the dear departed Princess Leia, said to me once, take your broken heart, make it into art.”

The more I thought about it the more I realized how that statement perfectly sums up this process I am engaged in. This “life is random, love is not” movement is, at its most basic level, my response to a broken heart. 

-------

When Suann and I first got together we would go to galleries or museums and look at art. More often than not the following conversation would take place if the piece in question was “modern”:

Me: I could do that.

Suann: But you didn’t.

Me: But I could so why is it art?

Suann: Because the artist says it’s art.

Georgia O’Keeffe thought art was, “…filling a space in a beautiful way.”

George Saeurat said, “Art is harmony.”

I have never thought of myself as an artist but I am now. My artist statement is simple: I want to fill the space around me in beautiful ways and find harmony in the everyday by being kind and spreading a simple message….

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM

Paying it forward

I'm going to make the assumption that anyone reading this has heard the term "paying it forward." I've heard it most often connected with paying for the next person's coffee in the drive thru (google that and you'll get an explanation on economics - fascinating).

Here is a pay it forward on a much larger scale. Recently, my sister-in-law's car was hit while it was parked on the street outside her daughter's home. The young woman who hit the car was new to the neighborhood and clearly in distress about the accident. Ronnie told her not to worry - no need to call the insurance company yet, they would figure it out together. Ronnie drives a white, souped up Camaro. It's her dream car. The woman had hit the front panel on the driver's side and pushed it in enough to cause the door to be inaccessible. Ronnie went off and had the car repaired. The next time she was visiting her daughter she knocked on the woman's door, explained what she had done and wished her a Merry Christmas. What is it the kids say? No harm, no foul. Ronnie's explanation? "I'm not rolling in money but it was an expense I could afford to cover at this time."

But it's more than that. As it turns out, many years ago Ronnie's daughter opened her car door and lost her grip. The door banged into and dented their neighbor's Cadillac. Ronnie and Ashlee went and knocked on the door to let the woman know what had happened. Her response? "Don't worry about it - it's only a car." Ronnie says, "I've never forgotten that. This was my turn to share that lesson."

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM

"I have decided to stick with love....."

Of all the quotes I've seen posted today this one spoke to me the loudest. Choosing love is so much easier than wrestling with hate.

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM

"Love takes over..."

I am a huge fan of The Moth podcast. It is first and foremost about storytelling, "Moth stories are true, as remembered by the storyteller and always told live." 

When you listen to an episode you're never quite sure what you'll get and that's what makes it fun. Inevitably, I ask myself what story I might share. 

Recently I listened to a podcast  labeled/titled, "Jury Duty, Walking Tests, Pepsi and NOLA"." They were four very different stories, all enjoyable but it's the last one, told by Chris Turgeon, that has stuck with me. Chris told the story of his son coming out to him. It is sweet and loving and funny. It is clear that while Chris had to dash his dreams of having an NFL playing son, he could not be more proud of who his son is. Chris self identifies as a conservative but when his son shared his news with him, "love took over." 

To listen to NOLA click here and search for NOLA)

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM

"The answer is love..."

LIFE IS RANDOM LOVE IS NOTTM