Art and health

 

One of my favorite artists, Andy Goldsworthy, works in a gallery in England, to bring nature into an experience of his art. Thanks Jenny at Salt & Light for sharing on her blog where she visited the gallery! 

Questions I filled out for my second visit to the Messina Cancer Center...getting my blood checked out. All is ok for now, no cancer, they reported.

The staff was very friendly. I guess I was most impressed how it felt to be around people with cancer again...the upbeat humor as well as a bit of stress. But mainly a 'caring for each other' attitude.

I had volunteered in the Art Therapy program at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa FL 25 years ago. Being around people who are coping with cancer reminded me of how we all face our problems. 

These were real issues, not the kind created by psychopaths in politics. Of course many people have real issues as a result of the stupidity in politics. I woke up early the other day because I thought of how I'd gladly intervene if I saw ICE acting upon any of the people around me. I'm someone who could easily be interference for the safety of others, without doing much but taking videos or standing in the way. Nobody depends upon me to provide food or shelter for others, while innocent people are being taken away from their families. 

Besides, hopefully my standing up for what is right will be another brick in the resistance. However, one doesn't go back to sleep after having these thoughts.

Seen at the check-in counter at Messina Cancer Center.

My job this week is to throw away all those old journals. Who did I think I was? Someone with a life worth reading about by some descendants or another? Pshaw! Let's be realistic!

BUT, I took many photos of the pages I'd written which reflected my life history...just as a summary. Then I woke up today remembering selling my trailer to my girl friend whose husband was going to build their home on their land...and going for 3 months on a cross country trip with my older two sons. Now just when did that happen? My oldest son is a good historian, though he was just 11 at the time.

I haven't found that in my journals yet! 

It was quite a snazzy 70s trailer, with sunken living room floor covered in orange shag carpeting. Pretty sure the kitchen appliances were all avocado. And a skylight over the dining area next to the sliding glass door to nowhere. I hope Stephanie Lynn Thornton (who later divorced) enjoyed it while they built their house.

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“Often, the news of the climate crisis paralyzes us with a succession of bad news that makes us feel hopeless imagining everything we’re bound to lose. Push aside that worry for a moment by listing everything that no impending disasters could take away, like the color blue, your fondest memories, or the affectionate protectiveness between parent and child of many species, including our own.”

 

Jessica Jacobs and Nickole Brown, from their book WRITE it! 100 Poetry Prompts To Inspire

Thanks Katharine Beckett Winship on Substack for the above quote. I no longer am a paying member, but somehow she emailed me one of her posts...and thus I read a bit about her love of the rivers.

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