A Parenthetical Statement...(commentary within commentary)

There are many moments in my life that I can point to and say, "In this moment I learned (insert lesson here), and through this trial I gained (insert positive reflection here), and I now realize (yay for light bulb moments)," but few of those moments begin or end without some outside influence. This past weekend, however, is one of those moments I will likely remember eternally and have no one to blame or, honestly, thank, but me.

It started out like any other weekend. My work week concluded (not too soon I might add)and I travelled to the gym with great enthusiasm for yet another workout. I labored through my cardio (my least favorite part of the gym experience) and then enjoyed the pleasure of my muscles screaming for me to stop as I worked my way through the third installation of my circuit lifting routine (kindly put together by a friend). After the gym I went home, showered, had my usual bowl of cereal for dinner (don't judge me I'm single), chatted with a few friends until the wee hours ("wee" is a relative measurement like "ish" and "yay")of the night before begrudgingly succumbing to the fatigue that should have closed my eyes hours earlier.

Saturday I rose with an ambition unlike any I've felt in a long time. (Okay, so, maybe I struggled at first to get out of bed but once I was up I was on a mission)It was time, I decided, to cleanse (please note that I did shower the night before so this was not the most literal statement)and as I set my mind to the completion of that task I was overcome with emotion, so much so that I actually fell to my knees at one point and just let it pour out of me. It has been some time since I've experienced that kind of crushing force and yet, with all of the tears, the silent sobbing, there was an equal, and almost overpowering, peace that wrapped me up and gradually soothed all that ailed. I wept for a little as I purged pictures, letters, and other keepsakes from my "space" all the while listening to music about taking control of your life, moving on, enjoying what is, etc...(I hope this blog will show, in time, that I love words and, more precicely, the pictures they paint and emotions they evoke AND provoke. Lyrics are, in my opinion (duh, because this is my blog (and I just did parentheses inside of parentheses, inside of parentheses))the most profoundly emotive words of all). I cleared from the present what the past had left behind and, for the first time in years, felt I had room again for a future.

Triumphantly (fist pumping, Eye of the Tiger slowly rising in the background)I conquered the day and set my sights on the evening. What the evening brought I couldn't have planned for. For nearly 2 years I had stared at a board that stands 88 inches tall and wanted to paint it (okay, so I didn't literally stare at it for 2 years, that would be a big waste of time)but never made the time or had quite the right vision. Apparently Saturday night was the night I'd been waiting for and with my limited supplies and even more limited talents I focused on plotting out the hours of free therapy ahead.

I scaled and measured the image on paper first (always the perfectionist) and then converted a similar graph onto my "canvas". With each calculation, each line, each initial stroke I felt another layer of sadness peeled, another restraint broken and after, I stood over my, still imcomplete, masterpiece and felt a similar force of emotion as the one which had crippled me earlier but this time it broadened my shoulders and perked the corners of my lips instead. The painting, which I hope to reveal later when it is completed, will not be gallery worthy but it will be an ellegant result of the most timultuous years of my life.

My "art" has always been my writing. Poetic and rhythmic use of vocabulary and philosophical mumbo jumbo (since I used philosophical it is okay to use a colloquialism such as "mumbo jumbo" to complete the thought)has been my loyal and, often, bitter companion for as long as I can remember. I share the ramblings of my mind and accept that many will enjoy its eccentricities (maybe that's a word, maybe it isn't but do you care enough to look it up?) and some wont but the painting, well, the painting soothes me and I could share it with the world or with noone at all and it will still have changed my life. So, I point to this moment in time and I say, "In this moment I learned that the true beauty of art is the soul that creates it, and through this trial I gained a sense of self that is simply invaluable, and I now realize I am stronger than I ever gave myself credit for(yay for light bulb moments (no seriousl, YAY))"!