When you tell me I care too much, I wonder why you care so little. When you call me emotional, I wonder why you lack emotions. When you tell me I am too hard on myself, I wonder if that is to make you feel better or if it is intended to make me feel better. I might be seeing life through a different lens but that does not mean my vision is less worthy than yours.
The lenses of my eyes see both violence and beauty. The waves of sound to my ears hear the words of hatred and the melody of ocean water rhythmically crashing to shore. The aromas that permeate my nose can detect both the decay of garbage left behind by others and the sweet smell of gardenias in the spring. It is the magic of human touch when I reach out my arms to provide a hug to comfort a loved one during times of sadness or embrace them to celebrate the joy of their successes.
It is the energy that surrounds us daily that I feel. I do care. I do try to understand the multitude of emotions that we are blessed with as a part of the human race. I realize that without sadness we cannot know what it means to be truly joyful. Without failure, we do not understand the meaning of success. We are capsules of the human spirit that are unique and different. That if we want to be successful it is up to us to determine what lives within that capsule and find the beauty and purpose that is uniquely ours.
When I think of success I do not think of it in terms of labels that others put on me but instead the labels that I put on myself. I think of the artist that lives within me.
The desire to recreate the beauty I see around me. The desire to recreate the colors of the world that are in vivid Technicolor through the lenses of my eyes. The quest to study the imperfections of nature that make up our perfectly unique planet. The discovery that sometimes in the smallest of details is where true beauty is hiding from those things that can harm its existence. That we have a constant desire to find shelter from the world, from the rain, snow, cold, heat and sun. That in our constant search for shelter we sometimes lose the natural beauty of the world around us and box ourselves in our perfectly shaped prisons.
So, when you say I care too much, when I am too hard on myself, when you feel I have missed the point or you feel sorry for me for feeling the way I do, ask yourself, are those things you are saying in an attempt to make me feel better or is it a way for you to try to explain that which you don’t understand.
Hello Raissa! I was just checking Facebook for a brief moment and Larry posted this on the Dirt Road….
So here I am and grateful. This is so beautiful.
We all have different views, how we see ourselves affects the view.
Thank you for this uplifting and inspiring piece!
I like to see the beauty all around..it’s just better this way🙏🙏
Excellent! Looks like vacation is paying off.
So very true. I’ve read before that fear is ones inability to accept change, see from a different perspective and lack of undertanding. Great job of placing the proverbial ball back in their court.
This is great. So many times people have said those above in your article to me regarding emotion and caring, to the point where I just didn’t respond, but now I have tools and words to give them a response.
I love this story. It touches my true self the one that loves the sunrise and the poets words late at night. I can’t remember the last time I wrote a business article and may never will again. Life is so much more than directives and compliance. Maybe we need to release our self from the the burden. I spent the day with my Grandchildren Wednesday and I could feel no greater joy than that day. I see your paintings and I am inspired, I read your words and my soul reaches out because it knows what you speak as truth. Success for me is sitting by an open window reading a book, maybe Henry David Thoreau or Emerson. It is a place to take brush in hand and paint the beauty around me or walk along the shore with my dogs. Perhaps it is holding my wife’s hand as the waves roll in and the joy of growing old together. For me, success is a cottage by the sea. Unleash the color of your soul and let them inspire your words so that your spirit may dance.
Absolutely beautiful Larry. You are a constant inspiration to me. Your focus on the beauty that surrounds us, the compassion your demonstrate in everything you do, your words that transport me to a vision within my mind. All amazing gifts and I’m blessed to have as a part of my life. Thank you
Thank you my friend
The words that resonated with me most were, “I might be seeing life through a different lens but that does not mean my vision is less worthy than yours.” It is our differences and diversities that make us so strong as humans. We must celebrate our differences, not use them as weapons. Thank you for allowing us to peek through your lens for just a moment. Great article.
Thank you Kat. The vision through each individual is different…and one worthy of sharing. I thank you for all your support and inspiration. You are one of the positive influences in my life.
Beautiful words! I love the ocean, the soothing and raw sounds, the element of water as well. The photographer’s eye in me is constantly looking for beauty in any surrounding scene, no matter how small or irrelevant it may seem to others. Thank you for the post!
Thank you Maria. Your photos and videos are a constant inspiration to me. You know you are in the right place when you are surrounded by inpiring individuals like yourself.
So happy to hear that, Raissa 🙂 You are very right! It does take time, but I always feel like a part of me is missing if I go through days without artistic creation or sharing someone’s art. It’s like a heart beat.
I love this. Your words articulate the complexities that are our unique lives intertwined in culture and shared in community. We do feel things differently and we do see through the lens of our own emotion and through the filters of our experience. Keep sharing your story through your words.
Thank you Jane! Life is a journey….trying to determine where to focus can be difficult. I chose to focus on the beauty that surrounds me.
Look for what is good because it’s there. Look for the joy because it won’t come find you. Things I tell myself.