My maternal grandmother died when I was 10. My younger brother, in his grief and also wishing to comfort my mother, stayed home from school. Not I. Perfect attendance was held in high esteem in our family. Remembering that Grandma had a custom of awarding a dollar to each of us with perfect attendance, I boarded the school bus and soldiered on.
Today is a day of mourning. Government facilities are closed. That being the case, seven of my eight stores are closed. I will be working – in my jeans and three strands of pearls – paltry though they be.
Both mourning and celebration of life well-lived are remembrance. I will hoist the flag. I will lower it to half-mast. I will remember. I will wear pearls. I will be a point of light.
I left Page before noon yesterday to drive two and a half hours for a symphony concert. Why? Because Flagstaff is the closest place I could find the preforming art I was craving. If you are going to take care of yourself, love yourself , date yourself: you need to do it right – you know – the way you want to be loved and cared for. So I booked a room. Next time I’ll court myself better and cater to my taste. A bit more luxury for a few more dollars would be well spent. I took myself out to dinner before the ballet. The dining room was full. Being single – I was seated at the full service bar. I chose the salmon. It was worth it. I was worth it. So I ordered desert as well. Seated right next to me was a handsome friendly couple who engaged me in conversation. He is a metal artist originally from the east coast. She originated in San Francisco. They’ve been involved in the Sedona art scene for more than two decades. He had a show in this very bar and grill not too many months ago. Art is where you find it – serendipitously. I put several miles on my feet yesterday walking around and acquainting myself with Flagstaff and the NAU campus. I prefer wilderness miles to concrete miles, but sometimes we have to make a compromise to enjoy a bit of Tchaikovsky. Hoping for a closer view of the art of nature in the great outdoors today. Maybe some hiking boot miles.
Art is where you find it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Most recently I stepped into the women’s restroom at work and noticed a bit of art in progress. An antique safe – now surrounded by the modern fixtures of a code-worthy washroom – is currently housing archived paperwork. One of our employees has been stripping the many layers of paint from the vault door resulting in a beautiful backdrop. Art is where you find it.
I really bring out the silver tones in this old safe
Putting One Foot in Front of the Other, Hiking for Life!
