Ethel, eloise, and elmer

Empathy is communicating that incredibly healing message of “you are not alone” Brené Brown

One of my favorite pastimes is walking among the cairns at the base of Morro Rock. These unusual rock structures seem a perfect setting for my wonky birds. I wanted to paint some wonky rocks to go with the wonky birds that had been flying around in my head.

Meet my newest whimsical, wonky birds – Ethel, Eloise, and Elmer. In this painting, Ethel and Elmer are on the ground and poor Eloise may have just realized that she is about to run into a cairn? Maybe Eloise is trying to stop the top rock from falling on Ethel? And, could Ethel have possibly just looked up and realized she is in imminent danger of being hit by the top rock? Could Elmer be simply worried about what’s happening here? As the colorful birds and the cairn leaped from my imagination onto the watercolor paper, I envisioned so many different scenarios for these intriguing characters as well as so many people the birds could symbolize.

One of my first interpretations was political which I thought fit just perfectly. But, alas, I’m sworn off politics on social media. As I continued looking at this trio, I saw subsets of people I’ve known over the years. I saw co-workers, bosses, friends, and family members. I love that art can provide us different stories at different times in our lives. Each time I look at this painting, I see people with qualities of caring, empathy, and compassion. I would love to know what you see.

These three birds are having quite a day! In this scenario, the birds remind me of my nieces and nephew. LoLo is a beautiful spirited girl like Ethel. She is smart, strong, funny, and definitely an animal whisperer. She has loved all birds and animals since she was a baby. GrayMan is enamored of tractors and anything that has a motor or wheels. He loves to study how things work, and like Elmer, he is a problem solver and would take time to analyze this situation. Addy is a sweet, sometimes shy, always affectionate girl who loves cheerleading and has a big heart for helping. She is like Eloise. These three little people would do anything to help the other.

My wish is that all could know this type of support given by friends and family. I treasure the ones who are always there when I need a helping hand or a push or just a caring ear. I am grateful for those who have made sure the rocks don’t fall on my head. And, I’m comforted thinking that I might have kept a few rocks from falling on my friends. My wish is that you will all experience that empathy which is “communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘you are not alone.’ “

We all get by with a little help from our friends. Here’s to all the Ethels, Eloises, Elmers, as well as Addys, GrayMans, and LoLos in our lives! L’Chaim ✨