take a bow

For many of us this has been a dismal, cold, snowy winter. In fact, it's snowing outside my window right now...even though today is March 1st. Meaning, we're just three weeks away from the first day of spring.

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Winter may not be your favorite time of the year, but on a warmer and brighter note, this year it turned out to be a great season to celebrate the arts. We had the Tonys, the Emmys, the Oscars, and the 40th anniversary gig to salute the enduring popularity of SNL. We've applauded the talent, imagination, and hard work of singers and dancers, actors, artists, writers, and musicians.

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Their success suggests that the rest of us can do it, too. We may not make millions at what we attempt, or walk the proverbial red carpet of fame, but if, instead, we measure success in terms of passion, joy, and courage, we have earned the right to take a bow. 

We earn it with the first stroke of the brush on a blank white canvas. The first bars of a melody that come to us in silence. The first verse of a poem or the title of a story that needs to be told. The shape of a piece of clay.

We deserve a round of applause when we set a beautiful table, for the way we arrange the fruit on a platter, for the flowers we plant by the doorstep.

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Just imagine the roar of the crowd when we hang a child's drawing on the refrigerator door, sing a simple song together, or dance a silly jig.

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Wherever our imaginations lead us, whatever passion drives us, whatever the outcome, this is how art survives. Don't make it wait until spring.

What could you start doing today to please your inner artist?

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"Reality leaves a lot

to the imagination."

~John Lennon~

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If my posts are a little erratic over the next couple of weeks, it's because our family is expecting the arrival of a brand new baby boy. Talk about creativity...

jan