A couple of months ago, I was at my studio, and while delighting in the warmth of the sunlight on this side of the Planet, my mind wandered. Despite the heat and the recurring rain, Summer was in bloom as we started to recover some joy... cautiously... Places started to open after the long pandemic-driven hibernation. We felt something akin to hope. An unexpected memory, the vision of the broad smile of a dear friend from my early years, surprised me while executing the oil-media painting featured in this post. The memory of his smile made room to more fun memories of other, easy, careless, summer days spent in the neighborhood of my childhood home. Pondering the lightness of life and the value of a smile after all these years, my cautious joy blossomed… My happiness was timid and cautious because we were in uncharted territory, where the virus that took control of our lives at a global level seemed to be now under our control at least on this corner of the planet.
As I write this today, much of the hope, and the joy, is on hold as we experience a reality where fanaticism of all sorts continues to reign and challenge our societal advances to a more just and healthier future, including the resolution of the pandemic. I can only dream that common sense and compassion prevail in the end.
If not a deadly virus, what will it take for humans to leave their pride and greed behind and work together to pursue peace and health for all inhabitants of the small blue dot we live on within the vast galaxy?
Image: ”Made You Smile”, oil and oil sticks on repurposed canvas, 28 x 22 inches, available for purchase. Feel free to browse through my website if you are interested in my artworks. If you have questions, please contact me here.
Thank you for your thoughtful blog, Adriana. I often wonder what it takes for humanity to wake up. I myself tend to concentrate more on what is not working than what I am grateful for in my life. I am consciously trying to shift this thinking feeling pattern toward more optimism, mainly because it makes me feel better. I do not know what it will take for human beings to come together in the spirit of love and respect as a whole. But I do think that if we cultivate compassion and love in our own lives, this light might spread and become contagious. None of us can give what we have not received. If enough individuals choose to spread…