Octopus, starfish, and light

I must have beach days on my mind lately because this is my third ocean-themed painting in the last few months.  Because I do love the beach, I often find peace when my mind wanders there.  I find it soothing to sit and contemplate the complexities of the ocean.  For me, the beach is magical because it involves all the senses.  The sight of the mesmerizing blues and grays of the water and the drifting sand as it changes with the tide, the sounds of the sea animals and birds and the waves crashing on the shore, and the taste of the salt air all bring me solace on a long day. 

Watching the ocean water also makes me remember how much I hated physics.  I have no natural proclivities toward math or physics, and my one class in fluid dynamics almost did me in.  And, this reminds me of a story.  

My father-in-law was a kind and decent man.  It was obvious to all at first meeting that he was everything we know to be right, good, and honorable.  He was a WWII vet and later an educator.  He believed in the value of education and of public service.  He was a testimony to his Midwest roots.  When he was visiting us once, I wasn’t having the best week.  Because he was keenly observant, he noted that I wasn’t quite myself and asked me what was wrong.  I told him that I was just tired of school and was feeling sort of burned out.  Even though I had been going to school part time while working full time for seven years, I still had quite a way to go to finish my degree.  Finally, I said, “It’s just so frustrating because I’m going to be almost 30 when I complete my undergraduate degree.”  After patiently listening to my whining, he calmly asserted, “Well, you are going to be 30 anyway.  You might as well have something to show for it.”  For me, this was a watershed moment, and I looked at my education a bit differently during the following two years it took me to finish.  He made a positive difference in my life, and I can only imagine the other lives he impacted through his simple wisdom and calm way of understanding, caring, and gently pushing.

There are so many gentle souls in our world like my father-in-law.  I am drawn to the light they project.  I so love the part of Amanda Gorman’s poem “For there is always light if only we are brave enough to see it, if only we are brave enough to be it.”

Here’s to seeing the light in others and being the light for all!  L’Chaim