Monday, April 6, 2020

10 Reasons to be happy -- practicing appreciation




Paris Anemones
black marker on Moleskine paper
8 x 11 inches
Barbara Muir © 2017
(I remember these beautiful flowers
so well.  They were a brilliant red.
The thought of returning to Paris
someday when all of this is over is another 
reason to be happy.)
The numbers today are staggering, and as these mount up
each day -- every bit of happiness matters more than ever.

1.  I am trying to teach remotely, and my students have done
an excellent job today creating professional presentations
on YouTube.

2. We are well.  And our family and friends are well. That is the
 main reason to be happy.

3.  I finished reading my excellent, but horrifically
sad book A Good Neighbourhood.  It is very well written,
but so disturbing that it has taken me almost a month to
read it.  Not normal for me. Next up a happy novel, online
no matter what.

4. Parts of the garden are starting to grow.  We may have
tulips next week.

5. A friend sent a list of reasons to be happy.

6.  A friend sent a virtual tour of Venice.

7. I get to share my thoughts with you.  (This is not number
seven -- it is a number 1, but this goes in the order that I
think of it, and my brain is going in quite a few directions
at once.)

8.  A friend and I talked about meeting for tea at the Art
Gallery of Ontario in Toronto when this is over, and that
thought brought back such vivid (and recent) memories
of sitting in the Member's Lounge having a delicious
lunch, and then walking through the gallery seeing one
magnificent painting after another!

9.  I am learning new skills that will help me with all
of my future work, like how to make voice recordings
that I can share via email.

10.  I am alive and happy.  Being happy is the best reason
to be happy.  Thank you to everyone out there who was
having a bad day and called me to cheer up, and cheered
me up in the process.  And thank you again to everyone
working to put an end to this, and discover vaccine.

Have a making someone happy day.

No comments:

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!