Art is a Passion

Art is a passion. It is something people are born with and can't get out of their blood. A non artistic person can never understand why it is so important to have a creative outlet like drawing or painting or sculpture. Just like I will never understand why some people enjoy arguing about every minuscule thing said at the dinner table or have to assign a number value to everything to make it relevant in some way. If I hear someone talking about numbers I tune them out. When the kids ask for help with their math homework I have to read it about fifteen times before I can even comprehend what they are asking. But if someone is talking about colors or opinions on a certain art subject, my ears perk up. I love to hang out and enjoy the wonders around us and see how it has changed from the last time I was there. My garden for instance. It is such a pleasure to walk around it every day and see how things have grown or what is now blooming that wasn't there before. My parents would walk out in their garden every day after work. My dad was interested in all of the new things that most people never even notice. I didn't understand what they were so excited about back then, but I get it now. There is so much to see and enjoy around you if you just take the time to stop and find it. When I go on my walks, besides the freaky raccoon encounters, I notice how big the creek is getting with all of the spring rains and how green the trees are becoming as the buds get bigger. The cute little ducks in the pond who no doubt have a nest and I can't wait until the little babies start venturing out too. I enjoy looking at all of the houses and the cool architecture, what kind of stones they used in their chimneys or fences and the landscaping. It all interests me. I envy my parents and the fact that they had so much to enjoy together and they also passed that love of everything around us down to me. I'm sure at the time that was not their intention, they were just doing what came naturally. I'm very grateful for the ability to stop and smell the flowers that they gave me and I'm going to start making a conscious effort to try and share this with my own kids. When you have as many kids as I do and you are so busy all of the time you kind of forget to share in the kids wonder about the world. Hopefully it's not too late to instill a little appreciation for the beauty of all that is around us.

I'm sure it is not too late for Eddie, she is so much like me, it is kind of sad. She will be in the middle of a full blown fit and catch a glimpse of herself in a mirror and you can tell she's checking out her crying face to see if it is believable or not. We were playing cards the other night and every time Max said something he would be looking past me at his reflection in the sliding glass door to see all of his cool gestures and expressions. Lex has always had a flair for the dramatic. Ever since he was little he could go from happy to lying flat on the floor bawling in a matter of milliseconds. He also is the one who at age three came to me one day and said "mom nothing's in my pants"! Not knowing what the heck he was talking about I said "What do you mean there's nothing in your pants"? "Nothing, my imaginary friend, he's in my pants". Well, Nothing has been with us ever since and he ventures out of Lex's pants quite frequently. He's a fun guy, gets into a little bit of trouble every once in a while, but Lex sets him straight.The three youngest definitely have some acting potential. The two older ones are going to be more quiet, but they in their own right have much artistic talent. Gwen can draw like no body's business and Gus' talent is in his mind (no it's not imaginary), he can remember everything, as long as it is of interest to him. That would include movie lines and Yu-Gi-Oh card special abilities. Certainly not important history facts or the state capitals or anything that would help him in school. After writing this I guess I do see a few things I must have had some influence on and without their dad they would be math illiterate. So maybe they will actually be smart and artsy a feat I still can't pull off!