Books

Books are an important part of our household. I have more books than I will ever read. And now, in this season of simplifying and downsizing, separating ourselves from books is a difficult. It is something that I cannot bring myself to do and this will not change. Truth is, I’ll continue to add books as long as walk upon this earth.

Books have been a part of my family as long as I can remember. I remember family vacations spent on the beach with my mom and dad reading while my sister and I played on the beach and jumped the waves. I remember how books offered an escape that allowed me to get away from whatever it was I was going through at the moment. They were a portal; an open door. Through books I met people and traveled to faraway lands; real and unreal. In books I relived history and broadened my view of the world. In books, just like in art, I became human. 

There are shelves of books. There are stacks of books. In our living room is short stack;. There is a book of Paris photography that I draw inspiration from and a copy of the latest Kingdom Keepers book. There too is the copy of Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation that I am currently reading.

In my office are stacks of books about photography and art. While on the shelves live histories, biographies and books indicating my passion for the art of Disney.

On my nightstand are copies of two favorites, J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, and P.L. Travers Mary Poppins. I have copy of Fosters A Celebration of Discipline and a book on the National Parks. There too is my Bible - the most important book in our home. Along with my Bible is small notebook that I keep notes and prayers in. 

And in a odd way, perhaps, a nightstand reminds me of something I once read in Melvyn Bragg's, Richard Burton: A Life. Burton has long been one of my favorite actors;  a powerful screen presence hampered by inconsistent choices of film projects. But  regardless of the quality of the final product, the voice was always superb. It was, and perhaps still is, one of the great voices of the 20th century. Burton was also a ferocious reader. He once said, "Home is where the books are." When traveling, part of his luggage was one suitcase full of books. He was never without them.

Richard Burton died at his home in Celigny, Switzerland on August 5, 1984. He was 58 years old. Bragg writes, "When the guests had gone from that funeral at Celigny and Sally had her first few hours of quiet and her first intimation of the encroaching loneliness, she began to tidy up. On Richard's beside table, she came across his scribble pad. He used a red pen to write on it, often waking in the middle of the night to jot down a thought. These lines had been jotted down on that last night.

"The multitudinous seas incarnadine,

Making the green one red.

"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow...

"Our revels now are ended...

"Cap a pi...

"The last line is unfinished.

"The blood vessels burst and flooded into the brain and there were no more words."

Books play an important part in my life. Maybe they do in yours as well. 

I am not able to read nearly as much as I’d like to. But I am hoping that this will change as time goes on. I am hoping that one day a large part of my evening will be spent with books. I will continue to work towards removing the clutter and sharpening the focus. And as this goes on, the books will still be there. They will urge me stop for a short while, take a seat and then open heart and mind to what awaits. Where will go? What will I do? It depends. On the printed page lies a universe of possibilities to be explored. 

Priorities

Over these past few weeks here I have mentioned simplicity and my desire to simplify my life. 

It is teaching me a lot about prioritizing. This is not the type of prioritizing that comes from looking at your day and deciding what are the most important things to accomplish. The type of prioritizing I am looking at is what needs to be a part of my life and what doesn’t. What are the things that I must spend my time on from this point forward.

What are those things?

God and family obviously! Without these, there is nothing else that I can do that has any meaning at all. God provides me with breath and being faithful to Him and being a part of my family are the reasons I breathe.

Beyond that, I have written about how art and photography are important. These are the things I wish to spend my time doing and hopefully become better at. This means that  other things like playing music or performing are not so important. That is not to say I’ll never do these things again, but they are not things I pursue. Unless it is part of doing something at my church.

Writing this blog is a priority. Many days I approach this blank page without a clue as to what I’ll write. But I decided early on that I would have something here every Sunday. It is a discipline that I imposed upon myself. This discipline causes me to think, to look at the world more closely, or differently. It causes me to think. Think about the things I’ve done or want to do, the books I’ve read or want to read or the places I’ve been or want to visit. This blog is a tool. It forces me to sit here, in front of this screen, and consider my life. This is something we should all do. Daily.

I had planned to write about how our household enjoys British television. But time has gotten the best of me. I am confronted with the issue of prioritizing yet again. I have a class assignment that I need to complete today. When I might have been writing some of this yesterday, I was out making photographs. Instead of coming home and writing, I worked on a painting that needs to be done so that my wife and I can move on with some other projects around the house. I need to spend time with family and friends later on today. 

It seems like a lot. It is. At times I question whether or not I am simplifying at all. But when I really look at it, I am and I am grateful for that. 

Two nights a week I am at church; one night in rehearsal for the Christmas production and one night in choir rehearsal. Two ways that I serve my Lord! My most important priority! 

Spending time with family and friends. My second most important priority.

One night a week I am class learning how to be a better photographer. A priority.

The painting. I am converting a closet space into a drawing/art space. A priority.

Writing this. A priority.

It seems like a lot and for right now it is. There is the actual drawing that I need to work on and I want more time to read. I need more time to study the Bible and to be still and listen. 

These are a few more things yes, but they are priorities.

It seems like a lot. But, it only seems that way. To me, these are steps along the word of simplifying.

There, that wasn’t so bad. 

~ Greg

Margins IV

     "When you imagine, time becomes timeless.
       When you imagine how things could be.
       Fantasy dances through all that you feel,
       And the dreams that you dream become real."

    ~ Share A Dream Come True Parade
        Walt Disney World (2001-2006)

Happy Accidents

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”

~ Confucius

Looking at the process of simplifying life, I realize it’s more than reducing the amount of things we have. It also demands a strong look at the things we do, and perhaps, those things we hope to do. Because just as a home can be filled with things that distract us, our time can be filled with things that keep us from those things that fulfill us. I know this is the case in my life. There is so much I want to do. But I have reached a point in life where I know that I will not be able to do everything, or go everywhere that I would like to.

For instance, I know I may never have the opportunity to live and work in England again. There is a good chance that I will never finish reading all eleven volumes of Will Durant’s “The Story of Civilization.” In fact I’ll never read all the other books currently in , or will be added to, our library. Still, reading is one of those things that I’ll do. It is one of the joys of simplicity. Of the many creative things that I would like to try, I know that I might only be reasonably good at one or two. I must choose where to focus so that all the other things, interesting though they may be, will not clutter my time. Like reading, the time to be creative is a joy of simplicity.

Consider photography. I love to take pictures but I don’t really work at it or study the mechanics or art of taking them. When it comes to photography, I have what I call “happy accidents.” Happy accidents are those moments when I take a picture of something, look at it, and say “um, that isn’t too bad.” It isn’t always the photograph as it was taken. It may have a good image and tweak it somewhat to get the resulting happy accident.

These are nice and I enjoy it when it happens. But it is still an accident; something that happened without my really knowing how it happened. There is little skill. I felt it was time that I really learned how to use the camera. I enrolled in Watkins College of Art, Design & Film and started classes this past Monday.

Being at Watkins is inspiration in itself. But that is a story for another time.

Ansel Adams said, “You don’t take a photograph, you make it.” Taking photographs is what I have done for years. I have not made photographs. Now I am at place where I would like to consider my photographs as art, meaning I need to learn how to make them. I need to know how to write with light and thereby create art. I have learned that this will take more effort than I have previously given. Great photographs just don’t happen. They require effort. They require time. They require patience. 

Taking great photographs also requires knowing what to do with the equipment, or “the box” as my instructor calls it. If I will let him, he will teach me how to make a great photograph, in the camera. This is mechanics and it is necessary. It is what I hope to learn. Still, there are other things to learn.

I take the course to be inspired, to look at the world differently. To paraphrase what my instructor said, “As we grow up and became adults, most of us shut down our right brain. We learn how to pay bills, balance a checkbook, work on a computer, do our jobs. But we lose our ability to create. What I will teach you in these nine weeks is how to use your left brain to understand ‘the box’; know what the numbers, the settings, the dials and menus mean. Then hopefully this will give you the tools to unlock the artistry that is pent up in you right brain.”

Simple.

This too, is why I go to class. This is why I will continue to go to class. This is why I will take another class once this class is over. It may be the next level in photography. It may be drawing or mixed media. It may be creative writing. It is worth my time to explore and to continue.

This brings me back to this desire to simplify. De-cluttering my life will give me time to explore “the artistry that is pent up” in me. I must find those things in life that steal time and be rid of them. Time gives us the opportunity to pursue those things that add meaning and fulfillment to life. In my life, it is time to spend with my wife, my family and my friends. It is that time to read, to write, or to go to the symphony or opera. It is time to  be creative. And most importantly, it is time to be quiet. To be still and set in silence with God is a joy that we rob ourselves far too often. In Him we may be restored and become a child again so that we can see His creation in all its wonder. Then, if we desire, we can choose to share this experience through artistry.

~ Greg

____________________

Speaking of happy accidents, here are a few.

A Simple Life

I have never been a fan of bumper stickers. I look at them from time to time and comment on how cute some of them are, but I rarely purchase them and I never put them on my car or truck. That is, until recently. With the closure of so many proper book stores in my area, I decided to show my support of local bookseller by displaying a “Save the Book” bumper sticker on my truck. It is simple and to the point. 

Another sticker I have seen, and like, is “Life is Good.” It too is simple and is somewhat celebratory. It is a statement, a profession, a goal. It is something we all strive for. But we each have our own definition of what “good” is.

I know that I have struggled for years trying to clearly define what is good. Not good as in good or bad, right or wrong, and so forth. But good as in what has to occur, or what does my life need to look like, in order for me to say, without doubt, that “Life is Good.” Not good for a few hours or weeks, or even months. No. I am speaking of long sustained periods of good.

When I consider “good” I think of how complex life is and I question why it is that way. Thoreau said, “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.” He was right. Granted, it may have been easier in his time to simplify but it can still be accomplished. 

While Gerrie and I lived in Europe, life was simple. Most of our possessions were either parceled out to family or placed in storage. Where we lived and how we lived was simple. We spent our evenings writing or reading. Perhaps we’d have music playing or the sounds of the evening would provide our soundtrack. Some evenings might watch something on television or spend time visiting with friends. It was quiet. It was simple. It was how we entertained ourselves. It was a good life.

Once we returned to America and eventually re-entered the mainstream of life, I was astounded at how quick things were. The level of complexity and magnitude of clutter that infuses each day was staggering. Sadly, I got pulled back into it. I unpacked all the boxes that had been absent from my life for nearly four years. Over the twelve years since we returned everything has multiplied. There are more things. There is more responsibility. Life is defined by a constant busyness. 

This is not what I dreamt of. This is not what I wanted! 

"Contemporary culture is plagued by the passion to possess. The unreasoned boast abounds that the good life is found in accumulation, that 'more is better.' Indeed, we often accept this notion without question, with the result that the lust for affluence in contemporary society has become psychotic: it has completely lost touch with reality. Furthermore, the pace of the modern world accentuates our sense of being fractured and fragmented. We feel strained, hurried, breathless. The complexity of rushing to achieve and accumulate more and more threatens frequently to overwhelm us; it seems there is no escape from the rat race.

"Christian simplicity frees us from this modern mania. It brings sanity to our compulsive extravagance, and peace to our frantic spirit. It liberates us from what William Penn called 'cumber.' It allows us to see material things for what they are-goods to enhance life, not to oppress life. People once again become more important than possessions. Simplicity enables us to live lives of integrity in the face of the terrible realities of our global village.”

     ~ Richard J Foster

        Freedom of Simplicity: Finding Harmony in a Complex World

Danger comes from a perceived need to accomplish. We compare ourselves to others. We question our accomplishments by measuring our fulfillment against someone else’s. We wonder why we haven’t done what someone else has done or have what someone else has. We begin to doubt. We doubt if what we do matters and if it is enough. Have we moved closer to a goal that really shouldn’t exist; a goal based on someone else’s success? If so, we add to the complexity of our lives. We stress and strain against a goal that we cannot obtain.

My spirit yearns for a simpler life. I am working towards it. It may not be all that I hope it to be one day, but little by little I chip away at the busyness. Now I will forget about  doing something that really isn’t important so that I can relax and read. I might spend an evening listening to music until I fall asleep and Gerrie has to tell me to go to bed. I might write or draw. These are things that calm my spirit and make me feel human again; not a machine moving from one task to another. 

When we define “good” we must define it on our own terms. For some it may be the accumulation of things and accomplishments that make people set up and take notice. But that is not for me. Yes, I have things. I have things that are not necessities. These things provide a sense of enjoyment but they should not be the basis of my happiness. If they become a distraction or a detriment to defining “good”, then I must be willing to part with it. Even now, writing this, I look around my home and wonder why I have some of the things that I have. Do they add or subtract to what “good” is?

The French sculptor August Rodin wrote, “The more simple we are, the more complete we become.” These are things I aspire to:  to rid myself of the things that clutter my life, to tear down the distractions that I have built up these many years, and to rediscover that simple life I once knew. In that simplicity lies my definition of “good.”

____________________

A few days my wife and I went to the local Sonic Drive-In. We each ordered a foot-long Chili-Cheese Coney with Onions and Mustard, a side of Tater-Tots and a medium Barqs Root Beer. We also went to a drive-in movie. Well, not really. I hung my iPod Classic over the rear-view mirror and turned on the truck battery so we could hear the sound. There we were, on a cool summer evening in the front seat of the truck, eating our Coneys and watching a movie. Not a bad date.

Life is Good!

~ Greg

Baseball and Art

Welcome to those few of you who check-in and read my weekly missives. I’ve not a lot to share this week, other than to say that I am away for weekend. Though we don’t often make it a yearly event, my daughter and I try to arrange a father/daughter trip whenever we can. This weekend, is one of those whenevers. 

We’re in Chicago!

If the rains from Isaac didn’t interfere, then we would have taken in a Cubs game yesterday. My daughter has not been to a MLB game before and what better place to see your first game than in Wrigley Field. 

Today we’re in the Art Institute of Chicago visiting the Roy Lichtenstein Retrospective. I am also gathering inspiration for the projects yet to come. We’ll probably write on the wall at Gino’s East. I imagine we’ll also have some deep dish pizza while we’re there. Paying another visit to Billy Goats is most likely in the plan for today. Not the best burger there is, but the atmosphere is not to be missed. I hoping to grab a few cheesy souvenirs as well.

I love hanging out my kids. Loved it when they were younger! Love it now!

So, this is a great weekend!  Hope yours is as well.

~ Greg