Nothing Special

A pre-pandemic photo of me taken at the Oregon Coast

A few days ago, I had to acknowledge to myself that the piece I’d been working on for this month's blog post was just not coming together in the way that I wanted it to. Rather than finishing it in haste, I decided to put it aside for the time being. This meant I needed to come up with something for September ASAP, so I opted for a simple and brief personal post that wasn’t as mentally taxing to write. My posts are typically focused on art and the creative process, and less on my personal life (of course, there is a bit of overlap, since life influences art, and vice versa, but you get the idea), so I hope this piece is a fun read.

A Collection of Some of my Favorite Things:

Favorite flavor: Pumpkin

Favorite TV show: Star Trek (the original)

Favorite film director(s): Federico Fellini and Charlie Chaplin

Favorite childhood movie: The Explorers

Favorite book(s): The Razor’s Edge by William Somerset Maugham, and Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Favorite place: The ocean

Favorite scent: Sandalwood

Favorite cartoon: Johnny Bravo

Favorite activity (besides art): Reading

Favorite decor item: Plants

Favorite drink: Tea 

Favorite season: Autumn

Totally Random Fun Facts:

1) I have 3 tattoos. 

A fairy on my back. I found an image in one of my children’s books and brought it to the tattoo parlor. I asked the artist to add boots to her (she was barefoot in the illustration) because, as the Black Sabbath song goes, “fairies wear boots.” I know, but I was a teenager. 

A star on my right upper arm. A friend/coworker of mine was going to get Wonder Woman stars on each upper arm after work. She asked if I wanted to come along, and maybe even get one too. I liked the way hers came out, so I decided to get one bright turquoise star on my right upper arm. I have since lost touch with that friend, but we will always be connected by our stars.

A Sanskrit “ahimsa” on my left upper arm. “Ahimsa” translates as “nonviolence”, or “non-harming” in English. My husband (a lifelong pacifist) came with me to get it and, while not a fan of tattoos in general, loves that I wanted to get that message inked permanently on my body. I love how many conversations it has sparked over the years.

2) I grew up in a household with three generations of women - my maternal grandmother, my mother, and me. My mother was a single mother, as was her mother, and the 3 of us were a tight knit group. We had a lot of fun together, and it was a loving and nurturing environment. I got engaged when I was 22, and relocated to a neighboring state, but I would not trade those 22 years for anything.

3) I became a vegetarian as a teenager, and transitioned to a vegan diet about 20 years ago. I do not consume animal products, and use vegan body products.

4) Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece have been lifelong interests of mine, and I have immersed myself in museum exhibits, books, films, and classes about them for as long as I can remember. I have frequent dreams (literally) of visiting Santorini, and other parts of Greece.

5) I once met Joe Dimaggio. I was working in a local bookstore where he was a regular customer. Not realizing he was anyone famous, I approached him to ask if he needed help. Notoriously private, he was a bit gruff and dismissive at first, though when he could see that I was unaware of who he was, he relaxed and we ended up talking for several minutes. I kept noticing other staff members walking by and glancing at us. After our conversation ended, I was swarmed by my coworkers, all wanting to know what the famous baseball player (and former husband of Marilyn Monroe) said, and how I got him to talk.

Spirituality:

Next to my loved ones, and art, spirituality is the central aspect of my life, Buddhism (with a focus on Zen) and Christianity (with a focus on Catholicism), are the areas I have studied the most, though I am interested in many branches of spirituality, particularly those originating in the East. About 15 years ago, I was days away from receiving the precepts to formally become a Buddhist in the Zen tradition. For various reasons I ended up not taking part in the “Jukai” ceremony, but my devotion to, and interest in Zen is just as strong as it was then.

Yoga, in all its depth and breadth, has been a part of my life for about 20 years, and I have deepened my studies and practice significantly in the last decade or so. It is now part of my daily life, both on and off the mat. 

There are several spiritual figures who are important to me, but Saint Francis of Assisi is the one that is the most special. My husband, who is a former (or, as he says, "recovering") Catholic, introduced me to his life and teachings many years ago. I was inspired by his message of simplicity, his devotion to God, and his unwavering commitment to pursue his spiritual calling, as well as his love for animals and environment.        

Personal Values:

If I had to distill my core values into a few words, they would be: simplicity, nonviolence, truth, and love. I believe if we, as a people, collectively adopted these values and applied them to our daily lives, despite each person’s individual beliefs, the world would be a better place for everyone.

That’s it for this month! Here’s to the end of another hot summer, and the start of a (fingers crossed) cool, crisp fall.