I don't miss my old life, the one carved into the spaces portions of my family have called home for over a hundred years. It's not something I say lightly, or with judgment for the people whom I no longer see in the day to day. It might have been about redefining home, seeing if I was brave enough, or just about having an adventure.
I do miss certain people. Or I'll look at a photo and remember a really good moment, then miss a space.
Before #remodelordietryin
The wall was still up in that photo, so it must have been prior to 2013. The only thing I missed about that wall coming down was not having that painting meet me when I opened the front door.
It's called "Soulcraft" and it's currently hanging in the office of a family member. I trusted it there for safekeeping when I moved to Oregon because I wasn't sure how much wall space I would have in the one bedroom apartment.
The photo doesn't do it justice, it's really stunning. There's a very subtle metallic quality about it and something about it made me think of an old vanity that one would sit at to put on make-up. All the darkness sits outside of the table and the mirror, so even when the world's a mess, one could still see him or herself in the light.
That's just what I saw.
Probably because that's what I always wanted for my friend who painted it, to be able to cut through all the crap and see the good parts of himself.
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
The Minnesotan didn't write those words, it's from the Benjamin Button movie, so credit for that beautiful string of letters arranged so well to the screenwriter, Mr. Roth.
I guess I miss my friend. I wish it was that easy for him.
I gotta send for that painting sooner than later.