the art of awareness
Cissy Thompson, One Of the Muses, #1 - Mixed media on wood panel
Years ago, I visited my favorite art gallery to check out a series of paintings before the opening exhibition. As I entered the gallery, my eyes scanned the room and I saw 12 white monochromatic panels. Over coffee and conversation, my eyes adjusted to the indoor light and the seemingly white panels transformed into varying textures of silver and white, with tiny clouds of color bursting through the layers of paint and pumice. As each panel revealed its unique personality, my eyes continued to soak up the colors and texture, until I staked my claim with a tiny, red dot.
This memory often comes to mind when I practice awareness. As of late, I’ve been observing my relationships and seeing them for what they are. It has been a challenge not to overthink when faced with disappointment; however, I’ve been working diligently to not assign a label to it. It’s not good or bad; it just is.
Similar to the paintings, my relationship observations reveal areas bursting with color while other areas are not as enticing. The painting landscape is not good or bad; it just is.
For me, this awareness brings a new freedom from disappointment. Releasing expectations of what “should'' be frees my heart to cultivate a deeper sense of gratitude for the bursts of color. Quite often, those bursts of color represent love and joy that has been ever present. I just needed to adjust my eyes to see them.
The added beauty of observing things for what they are is that you get to decide what happens next.
