June, 2024
I’m continuing to capitalize on the fragile and fleeting momentum I have to paint, and pairing it with my word of the year: resolution.
That means rescuing some works in progress that have been languishing in the studio closet. These four pieces were originally one big unfinished 20” x 30” sheet, and after some revisions and re-imagining, I now have two 9” x 12” and two 5” x 7” pieces I’m at peace with.
The reel over on Instagram shows the original and the evolution.
June, 2024
Planning continues for our three month year end adventure. For years I’ve collected hotel reward points from business travels, and we pretty much run our life on American Express, so our plan to avoid sticker shock is to put them to good use. Like anything that saves you money, there is often a trade-off that involves more time, and I accept that. I also accept that I have a tendency to be an over-researcher and would often do well to stop thinking and pull the trigger.
Just when I’m building momentum, though, I have an experience that rewards my paranoia. The latest example involved booking a flight from Madrid, Spain to Nice, France (for sure a first world problem, but stick with me, because the same thing could happen in less exotic places).
First, those rock bottom airfares you hear about are largely an illusion if you want to carry more than a toothbrush and have the option to cancel.
Option One was to book the flight on the American Express travel web site and pay with points, possible because Iberia airlines is a partner. That would take about 37,000 points for a refundable fare. Don’t ask me why, but I felt compelled to check directly with Iberia, and guess what – Option Two, same flight, same everything, 18,000 points! Yes, it involved joining another loyalty program, another password, and a couple of phone calls because it seemed too good to be true.
Seriously, do you have any idea what I can do with an extra 18,000 points?
June, 2024
My personal meditation practice took an interesting turn when I came across this book recently. It talks about a modern interpretation of an ancient Tibetan practice called Chöd.
I’m pretty sure we have all had thoughts, feelings, or even physical pain that we just want to get rid of, and there are practices that focus on “clearing” them out – removing them. There are examples I can think of in Christian prayer as well as many forms of healing work.
Chöd takes a different approach. Instead of asking or seeking to be rid of these things, we should consider why they are there, what they want, and then give it to them. The idea is then that, once satiated, they will abate and perhaps even transform into an energy that can be helpful and healing.
It’s a very specific and detailed practice, and I can’t claim that I’ve applied much rigor to my experiments, but I have found it helpful and effective. Having said that, it’s a little bit of a trust fall to honor or almost befriend the thing that is causing you pain. I was intrigued, though, by the serendipity of the fact that, having never heard anyone mention it before, I almost immediately learned that someone I know well is so interested in it that she is going to Tsultrim Allione’s center in Colorado for a Chöd retreat.
It reminds me of the Internal Family Systems approach, and similar approaches, to talk therapy. My very, very simplistic interpretation being that the more you try to deny or get rid of something that is trying to get your attention, the more it will fight to survive.
