Thoughts on the Boston Marathon bombing

This is not a political blog. It is also not explicitly NOT a political blog.
This is not a political rambling I'm about to go on, but if you take something from it *shrug* you do what you do and I'll type.

I live not far from Boston, MA and have many friends who work and play there. It's a great city to visit and many say it's a great place to be. Boston is one of those "American cities", the cities that have been taken as representing America in the minds eye. The Big Apple, DC, Philly, LA, Beantown... notice the sheer volume of people you will meet, American and not, who know those cities by their nicknames!

Any place with high visibility becomes an alluring place for crazies to do crazy things for publicity... both over the top for a cause (climbing the Golden Gate Bridge with a "Free Tibet" banner) and horrifically cruel cowardly acts of violence like placing explosives at a televised event of peace.

This doesn't mean we stop living. The good of the human race perishes if we let the possibility of negatives overwhelm our daily lives. Just as in other sad days, it is only if we stay down, choose to live and act in fear, that those with ill will win. If we are brave enough to pick ourselves up, follow the examples set by the helpers*, and continue to carry on with loving lives... THAT is the world I am in. I will not stop my life for there is far too much worth living for.

The symbol of the Boston Marathon is a unicorn.
Not a runner, not a trophy or a shoe. The symbol of the Boston Marathon is a gold unicorn on blue. A shining mythical symbol on the color symbolic of the water & air we need to live.

Stephen Colbert introduced his April 16, 2013 show in spectacular fashion. Patton Oswald has said "The good outnumber you, and always will." Before that I overheard "They messed with the wrong city."

All of it, I happen to agree with. Now that the media got itself together and is not broadcasting over it's regular programming with their hosts and anchors blabbering non-stop with opinions I agree. They messed with the wrong city and the wrong event. The first clue should have been in the symbol of the marathon.

Unicorns have a special place in my personal spirituality, but in history and worldwide symbolism as well. I could go for pages about the importance of Ka'lin in Asia and the unicorn in medieval Europe, but I'll skip those and try for a condensed version.

The unicorn was a less flashy symbol than the fiery phoenix of resurrection and less greedy than that of a treasure seeking dragon. The unicorn is believed a symbol of healing in it's horn, beauty in it's physique, a comfort to the innocent. It was prized for those attributes and it's rarity.

What better symbol could there be for an event that encourages peaceful competition of the highest level of unprofessional athletics to people from around the globe. People run the marathon to raise monies for charities looking to heal pains in the world. People run the marathon for self-challenge. People run the marathon because running brings themselves comfort and strength. People support the marathon because even from the outside we feel the positive energy it creates. Regardless of the science and lack of proof of unicorns, the image persists throughout time and the world. This image that popular culture often deems childish persists with adults long after childhood is over. The unicorn persists in the human psyche... as we continue to persist in the world.

The good will always outnumber the bad. We strengthen the good when we are willing to be the visible good, the visible average, the visible caring human beings we are each very naturally capable of being.

*Those still struggling with how to talk with your children (and I purposely say WITH because I want you to let them speak too!), if you are left uninspired by the unicorn, I leave you with a quote from the prophetic Mr. Fred Rogers himself:

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

There were helpers on 9/11/2001, and in the Tsunami's in Asia, the hurricanes of the southeast US, the Oklahoma City bombing. There are helpers right now in the Sudan. There are ALWAYS helpers. At the Boston Marathon there were helpers, not just the police in bright vests charging the baracade, but ordinary citizens pulling apart the baracades, applying pressure to wounds, running to retrieve wheelchairs for the wounded, the adults blocks away who spoke to every person they saw to make sure that other person was at least okay enough to speak. The newscasters who encouraged anyone they were interviewing to say their name and who they were with so that their loved ones might know they were safe. There were the amazing runners who thought a little ahead and walked themselves to the hospital to donate blood right away. There were the people online relaying messages to friends and family that loved ones were okay when the cell phone service was turned off. All of that, every single caring act of love, was beautiful comfort to someone. 

Cowards may have their moment of flash, but those who love will always rise for love is beautiful power.

Spring

And... I didn't post the entire month of March... whoops!

Working on life things. Nothing particularly exciting since February. Lame, I know.

Studios have been under construction, and there's been construction across from my home, so it has been difficult to be artistically productive as I had planned to be. I currently have 14 days to finish an acrylic painting. Yes, I have started. No, I don't blame you for asking and I sadly understand that it's a valid question.

Actually, I did 3 small acrylic paintings in the month of February, now that I stop to remember.

It was March that was a dud of a month. Sketches went well. Did another sillouette that I want to work into a larger multi media piece, but nothing that I am particularly fond of.... except for my phoenix sketch. I think I created the watermark for my online work (once I get a basic program like photoshop for myself) and it's a stylized phoenix. I do not like that phoenix and dragons have become "cool" so for that reason alone I am reluctant to use it, but now I keep finding myself doodling it on the back of napkins when I'm waiting and in my son's coloring books while I'm suppose to be waiting not coloring in any more without him. (Yes, I color with crayons with my son. I believe coloring books are good for everyone. It's calming... unless you're coloring with a 5 year old... then sometimes it's work!)

Open Studios this Saturday and no flashy new work to show for it.
Also, my business cards haven't come either. Both myself and my husband are out of business cards. Not good.
Thinking I might have to have us make up some tonight just for the sheer necessity of needing some for Saturday.
Guess I'm not doing well on "being on top of business side of things."
But what artist/stay at home mother in chronic pain with crazy family is?

Oh, and the excuse of getting another feeder to attract cardinals so I could study a female cardinal for my painting? It was total BS at the time, but low and behold, I have attracted a mated pair of cardinals to my yard and am getting to compare real life color for my painting. Photographs are great, but it's hard to tell when a photo has and hasn't been tweaked sometimes. Now I know I want more rust and less grey, less ocres and more umbers and it helps me stop arguing with myself. :-)