"Life is Art" Weekly Wisdom

 

This past fall, I went on an amazing trip to Italy with my heartbeats. We knew it was going to be a trip full of culture and experiences but I had no idea I was going to get an education in art and architecture. On our trip, we had an expert who was there to help us understand all the amazing things we were going to see. Theresa, a professor and PhD, had the most sincere passion for Italian medieval and Renaissance art and architectural history that her favorite artist, Bernini, makes her cry every time she sees his work. To love something she has studied and has devoted her life to, made me take a hard look at what I am doing in my own life. 

 In college, I took an art/drawing class as an elective to get my mind focused on something else besides science. It is one of my two favorite classes I ever took in college (the other being creative writing which now makes me think I maybe majored in the wrong thing? ) The class was in a beautiful building with amazing warm light and the most zen atmosphere. It was a breath of fresh air to be out of the dark and starchy walls of the endless labs I was in. But what I loved most of all, was learning about art, history and the techniques used in drawing were available to me but it was all me. It was my ability to interpret and create art. I never felt like a failure in that class because the lessons were naturally absorbed resulting in the work being created by me on my own canvas. I believe to this day, I must blend my creative side to balance out my science side. 

In a world where we have so much going on, it’s important to find the open warm spaces, to feel free, to be moved by the beauty around us and to let our creativity flow. Being human, we have many gifts bestowed upon us and we should be open on they can make our world a little more of a creation of our own. 

#Inputs | #Embracethehellyeah

~AE

"Stick to the Plan" Weekly Wisdom

 

True confession:  I am notorious for having grand plans, mapping them out to execute and then..... not following through. It is a horrible pattern in my life. And the plans are good!  Well thought out, reasonably easy to complete and then my momentum fades. "The best laid plans of mice and men" seems to be the story of my life. 

But today, this shall be no more!  I have started making plans and I have all intentions to stick to them. I am starting small though because I do not want to overshoot my shot. I am starting with home projects like cleaning my patio cushions and refinishing my patio table. The week before this happens, I am making the plan, reserving the time in my calendar and sticking to the plan. 

My hope is to create the momentum that lasts instead of fades. I have spent way to many years in a state of horrible execution and I feel defeated. When in the midst of life life-ing, there are a plethora of plans that do not happen - could be because of a personal or professional curveball being thrown into your life. We cannot stop or change those BUT we can still make short term plans to keep us on course. 

I am starting with the short term plans and none of my plans have a rigid, fancy step by step guide. I am actually tackling that patio sitch today and knowing by doing so, I am going to continue to chip away at my very important long term plans as well. 

The plans are made and I am sticking to them. 

#Inputs | #EmbracetheHellYeah

~AE

"Say Hello" Weekly Wisdom

 

I really enjoy a little stroll in the evening and so do a lot of people in the neighborhood I live in. Over the past month, I have walked by more than 75 different people. Out of those 75 people, I was the initiator of a kind hello as I walked by with 75 of them.  47 of those I said hello to said hello back. Out of the 28 of the people who did not say anything back, 10 of them smiled. This left 18 people who did not respond. 

I am that person who does say hello to everyone I walk by because I believe there is something so powerful about the "hello."  I did this experiment because I wanted to know how many people I encounter in this small time of my day and how it was reciprocated. I know people can have a really bad day and do not want to interact with anyone, so I am not taking anyone not responding to me as a negative. What I am taking away from this is that saying hello will never be the wrong choice. 

We need to normalize these tiny interactions with each other instead of being scared. We should not hold back because of the fear of not getting a hello or gesture back. We should be doing it to be kind and maybe being a bright spot in someones day. And we should never expect anything in return, this is not what kindness is all about. 

#Inputs | #EmbraceTheHellYeah

~AE