Are you Satisfied with Average?

Key West Sunset

Water is so relaxing. Hearing it tumble over rocks, flow into rivers, trickle into brooks and streams is the best way I know to fall asleep. Its movements can also be hypnotizing as you watch the way it rumbles and rolls over hills or slowly meanders into low-lying crevices and gullies.

Water follows the path of least resistance. It doesn’t run up hill without a fight. We can learn a lot about life by watching this liquid essence travel. What keeps it going?

1.    A strong source

2.    A Constancy

3.    A Tenacity

4.    A Clarity

The same vital traits you and I need to keep pushing ahead. Without them we would sink to the lowest level and settle into the comfortable ruts of familiarity. With them we can rise to the highest level of our abilities.

Effort is nothing more than a methodical plodding toward your end goal. There is nothing magic about achievement. It is hard work made visible. Sometimes it’s luck; but without the talent and skill to back it up, overnight success may be exposed for what it is – a sham.

"Mount Rainier"

Where is your source, your fountain of inspiration? Where does your energy, your power and motivation come from? Only by understanding the source of your strength will you be able to access and use it. 

Some people call their source a muse. Others credit God or the gifts that they have been given. Whatever drives you, recognize where it comes from and learn how to harness its power in your life.

Review again water’s four traits above. Constancy is a given. Unless you keep on keeping on your skill will not be developed nor will it improve. Only through practice and effort can you achieve a professional level of perfection and polish. Skill is not a gift. It is learned through perspiration and hard work. The more you do something, the easier it becomes to repeat. Repetition expands success.

Tenacity means you don’t give up easily. Water always finds a way. So when your ego gets knocked down, get back up and try again. You are on a journey. Don't let others or your own defeat deter you from your goal.

Clarity is essential. A muddy or congested waterway eventually slows down. It may also widen or overflow its banks and lose its original path. If you can’t see your way clear to forge ahead, you’ll get bogged down or lost in overwhelming detail. You need a clear plan. You need oversight and a glimpse of the “big picture.” Once you know what you want and where you are going, the thrust of your passion and your desire will propel you forward. Let yourself go!

(Overlooking a water spillway)

Walking in the Shoes of the Masters and Trail Blazers

"The Neptunes -- Trumpeteers" 1st in the Neptune series 11 x 14 acrylic

Sometimes the most mundane things can trigger the subject for an article. While I was mulling over what to wear Friday night, my eyes fell on my choice of shoes. The weather was colder than usual in Florida, and I was lamenting the fact that all I had were sandals; a result of living in southern climes where the weather is usually warm year round.

I found a closed-in pair of black patent tennis shoes which should have been the end of that; but instead, I thought about shoes for the rest of the day. Not my shoes mind you, but those of others: the people on this earth and those who have gone before us who leave behind their achievements, their example, their courage, strength and love.

Work in Progress "The Neptunes -- Golden Girls" 11 x 14 acrylic

How do I fill the shoes of my mother, for instance, who had more courage in her little finger than most people have in a life time? Or the shoes of my sister, who struggled with multiple sclerosis a major part of her life, yet never complained and always had a smile on her face?

I don’t know about you, but the master painters of yesteryear have left behind some rather large shoes that artist’s of today, including me, must fill. Who is your inspiration? Who do you try to emulate?

Some of us get distracted by glitter and glitz. We jump into the shoes of the bombastic, the bully, or the billionaire’s expensive and glamorous Cesare-Paciotti’s trying to imagine what it would feel like. There’s not a “Techie” alive who doesn’t want to become another Bill Gates. But do you really want to experience his cancer, his pain?

We all have our lone walk to the end of our days. Our path is unknown. It may be rocky and filled with terror. The harder we struggle, the more apt we are to get blisters and calluses. Our shoes may become worn and dusty. We look “at the other guy,” and we think his road, his load is easier to bear. Not!

An American Indian proverb goes like this: “Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins.” Sometimes we think we know a person and what his or her life might be like, but unless we walk in their shoes, we can only guess. We fail to see their heartache and pain.

The trail blazers who go before us can show us how to persevere. They can enlarge our vision and teach us skills. They can inspire us to emulate them, follow them, and walk in their footsteps, but we can never fill their shoes nor replace them. We must forge ahead on our own two feet in our own uniquely soiled shoes.

Many years ago, I wrote a short play for the youth of our church called: “In the Shoes of the Master.” In the script, a teenager is trying to choose what kind of shoes he will wear and what kind of life he wants to live. The shoemaker represents the seductive snares that we all encounter as we make choices.

Of course, in the beginning the young man chooses a pair like the rock star he admires; his female counterpart selects a pair that shimmers and shines. At this point in their lives, it is all about the fame, the money, and the sizzle.

As the play progresses, the youth experience some of the downfalls of their choices. They suffer crudities, experience failure, and come up against hurdles they don’t know how to overcome. They want new shoes (or a new life). When they go back to the shoemaker, they see on the shelf a pair they failed to notice before: a dusty, worn-out pair of sandals. In this instance, the shoes of Jesus Christ “the master” of life.

Our choices are not always this clear. We stumble, we fall, and we pick ourselves up. History can teach us who and what to emulate. Experience can show us those things that outlast time and prove to be of great worth. Choose which moccasins you want to wear and make your own footprints in the sand.

"The Neptunes -- Octoband" 11 x 14 acrylic