21 Things .16

A Collection of Quotes Part I

The title is rather self explanatory :) 
Below are a few random, thought-provoking quotes that I've highlighted in my reading. 
One of my pet peeves is when quotes are taken out of context (especially online) or attributed to the author instead of their character, but I also understand the power of brevity. 
Isn't it amazing how so much can be said with so few words?!

"The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved - loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves." - Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

"Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him." David Copperfield, Charles Dickens.

"A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word 'darkness' on the walls of his cell." - The Problem of Pain, C. S. Lewis

"Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries."
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Dumblerdore in Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, J. K. Rowling

21 Things .15

Impressions of Impressionism

This weekend, at the suggestion of a very thoughtful friend, I took myself to an art gallery to see an exhibit of Claude Monet's paintings!

My overall impression (no pun intended) was one of quiet awe. As I entered the first room, crowded with sightseers huddled in clumps around gilded frames, my eyes welled up with tears (on more than a few occasions). 
Such emotion wasn't unexpected, but I wondered, was I crying because I was seeing these original, revered works of art in person? My immediate answer was no - although it was an incredible and surreal experience, the idea of seeing one of my favourite artist's work stirred in me jittery excitement more than anything. Why then?
It took me the entire visit to sift through my thoughts, and I slowly but surely came to the realization that I was overcome by the sense of life in his work - almost a palpable presence in the room.
Now that may sound rather silly but let me explain...

As I gazed at the first painting I wondered whether I would have enjoyed it if I didn't know Monet had painted it. The truthful answer was that, no, I wouldn't even glance twice at some of his more abstract pieces. With this realization I felt a bit ashamed because I'm taught, especially with Modern Art to be able to appreciate art for the sake of art, or to find the art's message entirely in the (often ambiguous) piece itself. Many modern pieces go so far as to expect the viewer to find the meaning simply in what they personally make of it. In Modern Art, I often get the sense that the artist as a person is distant from their artwork and subsequently the viewer. 
Now Modern Art certainly intrigues me, and there are contemporary pieces that have moved me deeply, but they have yet to speak to my soul as Monet's paintings. 
After all these thoughts rushed through my head, I flushed as the shame was replaced with the thrill of understanding that liking Monet's work because it was painted by Monet is okay. The Impressionist's work was revolutionary, and in fact paved the way for modern art, and yet they painted what they loved. Understanding their journey enhances my appreciation. Monet's life story is inseparable from his work.

So for me, my love of Impressionist art and my walk through the gallery that day was a biographical one. To be able to see the bold and dancing brush strokes and the texture of paint that created the illusion of flickering colours of nature (sometimes Monet mixed sand from the beach into his paint when he was capturing beach scenes, and he never used black, believing it wasn't a natural colour of nature). Such things revealed Monet's pioneering genius. But at the same time I was surprised by the simplicity of some of his work, and his inadequate renderings of the world. When looking at his pictures online, the incomplete corners of canvases are omitted. 
So yes, I got to see the work of an artist I have long admired, but he is just a man after all - imperfect and incapable of capturing what he saw.

He knew better than anyone that trying to capture the light as he desired was impossible. "Quite beyond my powers", he said, and yet (and this is what I find so beautiful) he painted anyway. He exuded a quiet resilience that kept him at his easel even as he began to go blind, and when the battlefront of World War I encroached on his garden in Giverny. 
"I would much rather die here" he said, "in the middle of what I have done."

Getting a glimpse of the world through Monet's perceptive eyes is a testament to the fact that one human soul is truly an epic on the grandest scale.

21 Things .14

Role Models and Wonder

We all have our role models. Some of them are close mentors and family members and continue to influence us our entire lives, others we admire from afar or are only influenced by for a season. Whatever the case, we can conclude that role models have a lasting impact.

As a six year old still new to the school playground, I remember a group of Grade 6 kids who'd talk to little me and sometimes walk me home from school. Their attention made me feel so special and I thought it would be grand to be their age!

Then Grade 6 came along and I definitely didn't feel as grown up as I'd envisioned them. In fact, its one of those years that I find most difficult to recall. It was a great year but not strikingly so.

Then there were the years following in which I looked up to specific camp and youth leaders. Some I saw weekly, others only for a short week, but whatever the case, I was always struck by their confidence and willingness to include me in their lives. 

Having now served in many camp and leadership roles, all I can say is that its very different. Where was my confidence? I wondered. Why was I so tired? 

Don't get me wrong; such leadership experiences were wonderful but I never did feel like I thought my leaders had felt.

There were also countless times that I watched The Sound of Music (a favourite), and it got me wondering with anticipation what it would be like to finally be able to sing that I was "sixteen turning on seventeen! 

Again, definitely not the same! 

You're probably noticing a theme here :)

~

It was a painfully slow day at work today and my mind was muddled with summer allergies and the doldrums of a hot, stuffy room. Then a young family walked in and the memories I have just been describing rushed over me. It was the kids that sparked them. They came rushing into the museum ahead of their parents, practically running with excitement and saying hello to me before I had a chance to greet them.

"So you've come to have a look at the museum?" I said, trying to emerge from my foggy brain.

"Yes! We're so excited!" the boy exclaimed. He was about nine years old. "We love mines - I mean, we love learning about history, and since mining is a part of that, we like it too!" 

I took "we" to mean his sister and him.

Kindred spirits! My heart warmed as I talked briefly with this brother and sister. Not often do you meet kids who walks into a museum like its an amusement park!

After their parents had paid I opened the old cash register to put away the change. "Cha-ching." 

The siblings were peeking up over the counter and they gasped in unison at the sound. "Wow!" the girl said softly, "You're so lucky!" 

You're so lucky.

Those were the words that really struck me. I saw my younger self in her place, watching a young lady put cash into an old historic cash register and admiring her and her job. 

I definitely didn't feel "lucky" today, but her words gave me a new perspective. It made me realize that although the world and the unknown continue to get bigger as I grow, I get the opportunity to be in a position I would have admired as a young girl. Today I was reminded of the wonder and expectancy of childhood as well as the fact that role models don't often know that they are role models and seldom do they feel like one, and I'm thankful for that.

P.S. Only one year to go until I can sing Taylor Swifts "22" :P