Living in the Guest House

Original watercolor painting before modifying with photos

As I continue to stay at home during this time of global pandemic I find that my mood is as variable as the weather. (Take a look at the photos at the bottom of this post to see what the weather looks like in Minneapolis today.) Earlier this week I felt full, productive, and creative. Then 2 days ago my mood dipped and I became irritable and short-tempered. Yesterday we drove to our youngest daughter’s house to pick up groceries she had bought for us. We stood 10 feet apart outside her house and caught up on all her latest news. Just seeing her bright smile and hearing her laughter lifted my mood. This morning I’m feeling full of joy as my creative juices are flowing again. Not even the return of snowy weather can dampen my joy.

This ebb and flow of emotion reminds me of Rumi’s brilliant poem, The Guest House…

The guest house

This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
Who violently sweep your house
Empty of its furniture,
Still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
For some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
Meet them at the door laughing,
And invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
Because each has been sent,
As a guide from beyond.

   — Rumi

Living in the Guest House

My mindfulness practice has taught me the transience of emotions. When I allow emotions to glide through me like clouds glide across the sky they quickly dissipate. If I contract and try to avoid the painful emotions or cling to the pleasant emotions I suffer more. Practicing acceptance of what is doesn’t mean that I stop feeling things. It simply means that I loosen my grip a bit on trying to control life and stop trying to stay within my comfort zone.

I feel like practicing mindfulness has changed my life for the better. Yesterday my husband, Jon, and I were talking about how I’ve changed in the past nine years. It’s been nine years since I was laid off from my job as a computer engineer and decided that I would follow my passion for photography instead of looking for another tech job. Nine years of healing and growing and steadily learning to choose joy each and every day.

Shortly after the layoff I decided to commit to daily meditation. It took awhile for me to figure out how to create a practice that fit for me. I learned that if I begin my daily round of activities before meditating, that it didn’t happen. So I created a routine that works for me. I sit to meditate every morning after I’ve gotten up, brushed my teeth and dressed but before I leave the bedroom to take on life’s daily activities.

Creative Joy

Here are some of my latest watercolor – photo creations. I used the same painting for two very different looks. In the first, I love the complementary colors of the orange in the painting combined with the purple-blue of the squill flowers. In the second, with the monarch butterfly photo, I feel as if I’m in the summer garden.

Original watercolor painting before adding photos

“A fallen blossom
returning to the bough, I thought —
But no, a butterfly.”
― Arakida Moritake, Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology

Here is a creation made with the painting above before I added some of the brighter paint colors to it.

Original watercolor painting before adding photo

I am endlessly fascinated with creating new paintings and combining them with photos that I’ve made over the years. Although many extroverts are suffering from feelings of isolation during this time of social distancing, as an introvert, I’m reveling in the energy I get from creating and working at home. I am feeling blessed, grateful, and privileged, for this life I live.

May you walk in beauty.

And today’s weather in the backyard…