"Would you rather be happy or right?"

This was a part of today's message by Rev. Chris Jackson at Unity on the Bay and i would rather be happy, but what got me was how both of these things are tied together. Equating happiness with being or doing right has been a part of my entire life. I constantly say to my students what criteria are you using in terms of your judgement, (something I learned from aesthetics). So what tied right and happiness together for me? It does not matter as long as they stop being attached to each other. Now my happiness can be about being happy not being right. It is funny how i complicate such simple things.

another gift from a friend

Subject: Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit the conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen andreturned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups -porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the alumni had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking; expensive cups were taken up,leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup; but you consciously went for thebest cups ... and then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life. The type of cup one has does not define, nor change the quality of Life a person lives. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God makes the coffee, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Enjoy your coffee!

The Season in Hell is done

Here are the 12 drawings from "A Season in Hell". When i started this project i was not clear on where it would go and maybe i now know a little bit more. The poem that has been a great part of my life for 28 years is no longer the mantra it had become. It has transformed and with its transformation i accepted the change and now i have 12 places. They are the places where i go in my dreams of not being here, they are landscapes and forests. Enjoy them as i did for i had a wonderful time finding them

drawing 001

drawing 002

drawing 003

drawing 004

drawing 005

drawing 006

drawing 007

drawing 008

drawing 009

drawing 010

drawing 011

drawing 012

Found a Drawing & I wanted to thank a friend

I wanted to thank my friend QueenVikki for her help with the Craw Claw Header.

I found another Crab Claw drawing in a sketchbook under the bed while looking for construction paper. So here it is

Work from 1991

Here are a couple of watercolor/charcoal drawings from the summer of 1991.

More Hell

Here are more drawings from "A Season in Hell".

A Season in Hell - 2nd drawing

A Season in Hell - 4th drawing

A Season in Hell - 5th drawing

A Season in Hell - 10th drawing

I got flowers!

Not too long ago, i was having a conversation with a friend about how wonderful it is to receive flowers from anyone and for whatever reason. I don't think it is a secret that i love to get flowers but i am partial to just picked wild flowers and just picked flowers from a garden.

One of my morning habits is to go out in search of a new Passion Flower (yes - every morning). On the days i am lucky the flower becomes the center piece of my kitchen table. It will only last a day but i always have that as an excuse to go out and look at the garden the next morning (not that i need an excuse).

I woke up around 8:00 am this morning because one of the little Crab Claws was going to have breakfast at a friends house down the street. After waking her up I could not get back to bed so I started my morning routine. When I got down stairs there was a gift on my kitchen table.Take a look.

Little Crab Claw went out and made a center piece for the kitchen table from flowers in our garden.

Little Crab Claw's photo of the center piece.