A Four Inch Win

Calving Season

4" x 4"

Watercolor

This past week race car driver Denny Hamlin won the closest Daytona 500 by one-hundredth of a second, edging Martin Truax, Jr. by about 4 inches.  Four inches made all the difference between winning and losing!  This is yet again one more example of the power of a little making a huge difference in life.

As I've written in past blogs, the Aesop's Fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare" provides an important truth that slow and steady wins the race.  I have a quote on my kitchen bar by William Dunning that underscores this point:  "Steady work is far more productive than superhuman spurts."  Just keeping at something, chipping away at it in small portions, brings tremendous results over time.  I was encouraged lately in this.  Like most of you, I struggle with trying to find time to do all the things I want to accomplish in a day.  I was challenged to just commit at least 5 minutes to a task but do it every day.  That is pretty powerful as I have a drawing on my easel that is on the way to completion due to a daily 5 minutes work.  Otherwise it would still be in the early stages waiting for that "perfect" big chunk of time to do studio work.  

It is the small things in life that really DO matter.   Little acts of kindness or caring, taking time to repair something minor before it develops into a mess, giving a little more effort than just getting by, cutting back a little on calorie intake, purposing to move your body more in a day, giving that little extra all adds up to major impact in lives.  Be encouraged and keep at it!  Rome wasn't built in a day!

Currently I have five pieces of work on display in the "Winter into Spring Show" at the beautiful Jansen Art Center located here in Lynden, Washington.  

Live bravely and beautifully!

Life in Lynden

"Ada"

Watercolor study

You never know what you'll find when you open the door!  One night this week the door bell rang.  I ran to open the door and found....Ada! She stood in full Dutch garb straight from Holland.  I was dumbfounded and amazed!  I proceeded to invite her in and spent an enjoyable 45 minutes with a very delightful lady.  Ada was representing the Lynden Chamber of Commerce by delivering the Chamber's welcome basket. 

 In it were fresh baked raisin buns from the Dutch Bakery, a coupon for a gallon of milk and a gallon of ice cream from the famous Edaleen's Dairy, numerous other coupons, maps, brochures, and gift items.  I was blown away by this town's generosity and kindness shown so effectively in this dynamic little 82 year old lady.  Yes, you read that right...Ada is 82 years old!  She delivers welcome baskets for the Lynden Chamber of Commerce several times a week, rain or shine.   I told Ada that she was very inspiring and that I hoped to be as spry and engaged in life when I became 82 years old.  Amazing!  I will never forget this occasion. She was an unforgettable birthday present.  

This past week I also attended the Extreme Broncs and Bulls Rodeo at the Lynden Fairgrounds.  I kept my sketchbook and camera quite busy during that time capturing the young cowboys, bulls, and broncs for art photo references.  

Live bravely and beautifully!

A Super Win

This past Sunday many of us watched as the Denver Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl.  Watching this game between two great defensive teams spurred me on to think about some truths that apply to life.  

We all like to win.  I don't know of anyone who likes to lose.  When it comes to living, we are all in a race.  The race is our own life and how we are running it.  Are we running to win, with purpose in every step? Those two great football teams didn't make it to the Super Bowl by wishing they could be there.  No, there were countless hours of planning and hard work fueled by desire.

How do any of us accomplish our goals, overcome adversity, and live life with a capital L?  I think it boils down to two points:

1.  Greatness in Discipline

One needs to focus and simplify.  Weakness needs to be recognized and turned into strength.  Adversity needs to be overcome.  We need to make the most of the moments in our lives and say "NO!" to distractions and time wasters.  We need to have a marathon attitude versus a sprint mentality...to never give up!

     "Determine to make the most out of every situation."

---Kathy Ireland

"Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not."

---Thomas Huxley

"Anything worthwhile will never be handed to you.  You have to work for it."

---Rita Simo

2.  Greatness in Desire

What goes on in our hearts fuels our actions.  We need to nourish our hearts and minds with what makes for greatness in living.  Our faith is a springboard for enduring when the going gets tough.  It helps us to avoid a life of gray mediocrity, of settling for just getting by when we have victories to achieve and goals to accomplish.  

"Nurture your mind with great thoughts, for you will never go any higher than you think."

---Benjamin Disraeli.

We need to realize that a life of greatness is not about ourselves but about serving our fellow man.  A gold-medal life is found in making a difference in the lives of others.  That is a win-win scenario for all!  Everyone is better for it.  

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

---Winston Churchill

                                   

Live bravely and beautifully!

Balancing Act

(Watercolor study of bull and rider - 12" x 9")

Can you just sense how precarious this moment is for the bull rider? He has got to maintain his balance with just one hand hold on the rope for a full 8 seconds.  It has been termed the most dangerous 8 seconds in sport!  

Sometimes our lives can feel like a desperate balancing act.  We have a 24 hour period in which to earn a living, maintain relationships, deal with issues of health, economics, be involved in volunteering or aiding our fellowman, work on projects, and deal with the unexpected things life throws at us.  How do we keep all the plates spinning without a crash along the way?

Life can be a real balancing act.  Here are some thoughts to encourage you along the way in that endeavor:

1.  Know where your center of gravity is.

What is it that keeps you from tipping to one side or the other and getting off balance?  What is that core base that holds things together in your life?  Keep centered on that.  Make that the essential priority in your full life.  For me and many others, we find that a daily time spent with God in His Word provides the calm in the eye of life's hurricanes.  What is important for Him will help us prioritize what really matters for us in a given day.  Our lives will contain a stability with that focus.

(Bighorn Sheep sculpture by Dan Ostermiller at Lauritzen Gardens-Omaha, NE)

2.  Maintain a sensitive awareness for adjustments.

As you go through your days, keep an internal monitoring in operation of all the things that you are attempting to balance in your life.  Maintain a sensitive analysis of what is and is not working in your seeking to lead a balanced life.  Stay fluid in your ability to make adjustments so that you are not overextended.  Stay in ready stance so you are not easily pushed off base by over-committing yourself beyond what you can take on without added stress.  I love that acronym of KISS...Keep It Simple, Stupid!  That's a blunt but to-the-point adage.  It goes a long way to staying in balance!

(Bear sculpture by Dan Ostermiller, Lauritzen Gardens-Omaha, NE)

3.  Get right back up in the saddle again when you lose balance and fall.  

Thinking that we can do it all, have it all, and keep our balance in life is a myth.  We often lead messy lives and are far from perfect.  So don't waste time bemoaning the mistakes and how you may have mishandled things.  Asses the damage, seek to understand better, make necessary adjustments, grow, and keep on riding!  I love this old quote from King Alfred the Great:  "Whisper it to your saddle bow and keep on riding!"

Front Row Seat

36" x 30"

Oil

Here's an update photo of the three dogs I am working on:

Live bravely and beautifully!