In This Great Future, You Can't Forget Your Past; So Dry Your Tears I Say...

flowers...

In high school I had an art teacher that told me that I was a true artist. The day she told me that, I think I floated to every other class that I struggled in. I thought she meant that I was talented and gifted, which may have been part of it. But she meant something more than talent or the fact that I liked to paint. One of the last days of high school she gave me the true answer. She asked me, "Do you know why you are a true artist." I think I replied with something dumb like "Uh, cause I live to paint." She smiled gently and said "Yes, but mostly because you see beyond reality." I must have had a quizzical look on my face because she laughed and said "You notice things. Not just what you see but the emotion of the moment and that means a lot. Never forget that."

I keep these kind words close to me. When I have messed up or when I am having a hard time- its like opening an unexpected card from a friend- I hear the words again "You see beyond reality." And in that moment life is beautiful again...