Hambidge ends with a bang!

Quite literally!

I ended my fantastic stay at Hambidge with a fall to the floor on the day before Halloween. I still have quite a shiner from the episode. Here I am on the night after the fall -- still at Hambidge and taking a picture of myself in the bathroom mirror to commemorate the event.



So, as you might imagine, the last couple of days were not quite as full of walks in the woods and art making as the previous ones. The fall put quite a good perspective on things though ... like "better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick!" OR "you ought to have your head examined!" OR "you really fell on your face about that, didn't you?!" OR "put the right brain to work" OR....

Sometimes it takes a lot to get me to stop, look, and listen.

So, the falling down part has made me stop.

It reminds me that I have to look at the step I'm taking at the moment. Part of what caused me to fall was that I tend to be focused on where I want to be... not where I am. Moving too quickly beyond this moment, beyond this space I now occupy can cause a problem as was so clearly pointed out by the plywood floor of Brena studio.

Listening to myself is something I can put off, frequently. I hear what I'm telling myself but I often do a Scarlett on what I hear, the "tomorrow is another day..." thing. Yes, but today is today. What must I attend to today, in my relationships, in my home, in my community, in my artmaking?

Americans have now stopped, looked, and listened for the future. I hope we're on a better path but we have to take careful steps to where we're going. And we have to listen to all. I truly believe Barack Obama will bring into the administration people who will be able to look and listen, and act for more than a few. There aren't easy solutions but I believe we can be hopeful for our American future with this choice.