Street festivals are a feast for the senses.  Since no cars are allowed, people can wander the entire breadth of the road for blocks on end without worrying about traffic.  Local vendors bring their wares to the curb side as restaurant owners fire up their outdoor grills and set out tables and chairs where cars usually park.  Sights of festive decorations, the sounds of music, and aromas of sizzling food all vie for your attention.

Strolling along this festive corridor, I came across a shop filled with Latin American art.  The bright colors drew my attention and as I came closer, I noticed whimsical little figurines posed playfully in celebration.  To my surprise, the characters were actually skeletons, grinning from ear to ear and living up life as we know it.

There were brides and grooms, flamenco dancers and musicians, all dressed in beautiful elaborate costumes.  Each wore an ornate hat, from giant sombreros for the gentlemen skeletons to colorful wide-brimmed summer hats, lavishly decorated with feathers and flora for the women-skeletons.  How elegant they looked, even with their big hollow eyes and make-up free cheekbones!

A sign posted nearby summed it up perfectly: “Celebrating life through the mockery of death.”  Here is a culture that honors the passing of loved ones through celebration.  A stark contrast to western culture, which typically avoids the subject.  Regardless which cultural standpoint you take, we can all learn a lot from other cultures.  The next time you find yourself strolling down a street, be curious about what draws your attention and stay open to the experience!

I had a delightful conversation yesterday with a woman who spent a lifetime with horses.  She retired from teaching riding skills after her own horse died.  It was a career she loved and it showed in her face as she reminisced fondly about her past.  I could tell she was an expert in the field by her confident and direct speech.  “When riding, you want to stay upright.  Use your heels to keep your body back and from leaning forward.”  “If you want the horse to move forward, relax the reins and squeeze your thighs together against the horse’s body.”  “When you want to stop, pull back on the reins.”   “If you want to steer away from something, look where you want to go, NOT where you don’t want to go!”

The last comment made me laugh, realizing it is human nature to look where we don’t want to go.  Whatever we focus on, whether desirable or undesirable, becomes our reality.  If you focus on resistance, what you resist persists!  The woman’s final statement was perhaps the ‘icing on the cake’.  “And whatever you do” she said, “don’t look at the horse’s head!  That means the horse is leading!”

Who’s leading your life?  Neighh..hh.hh…

Every picture tells a story.  Every story has a creator.  A visit to the local art gallery revealed this when I stepped into the world of abstract photography.  It was the opening reception and many people attended to hear the artist share the story behind her artwork.

As an art teacher for many years, the artist had refined her talents to intuitively capture wonder-filled images.  From behind her camera lens, she zoomed into minute details only visible to the trained eye.  She created beautiful compositions with complimentary tones and fluid shapes that danced playfully across square sheets of metal, yielding a most luminous sheen unlike anything I had ever seen.  Her work was captivating and drew wonder from many.

Conversing with others, I quickly realized how personal interpretations yielded another level of storytelling.  Comments like: “I see a mountain in Japan”, “That looks like the surface of the moon”, and “It’s an aerial view of a dessert” triggered memories and stories of past adventures, real and fiction.  We puzzled over the original photographed object.  What could it possibly be?  Discussions with the artist revealed that some were close-up images of a rusting vehicle in various stages of decay.  Others were parts of an old billboard peeling from years of exposure to intense sun and wintry weather.  Texture was her specialty and it was evident she had a knack for capturing depth and intrigue in her pictures.

Every picture tells a story.  Every story has a creator.  Your story is your life and your perceptions form your reality.  Here is a fun exercise for testing your perception.  What do you perceive when you hear the word ‘pits’?  Take a moment to consider your answer.  Do you perceive something undesirable or seeds for tomorrow?  Do you perceive dangerous holes in the earth or your underarms, that place on your body that stimulates laughter?  Hopefully, your perception involves many different viewpoints and humour is always one of them!

When I was a young child, I used to sing a rhyme:  “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”  From singing this repeatedly, I came to believe that rain was less than desirable for outdoor activities.  While growing up, elders affirmed this when they said, “It’s horrible out there!” and “The skies are so dreary … I just want to stay inside.”  Years of subconscious conditioning like this has led to the entrenched belief that rain dampens outdoor enjoyment.

Now in midlife, I have an inherent need to go outdoors for a walk everyday, regardless of the weather.  Since I live in an area where there is a large amount of rainfall, I have good rain gear and bundle myself up well before heading out on stormy days.  On one particular afternoon, a deluge of rain and wind sent me back for my umbrella for added protection.  I chuckle to myself every time I open up the graphic blue skies and puffy white clouds over my head.  Stepping out into the rain, the beating of raindrops on my umbrella bring me back to reality and open up my senses.

I notice the rain dancing on the pavement, streams of water flowing down the street, and puddles everywhere.  Pools of water in all shapes and sizes beckon me forth as I began to experiment, moving my boots through them at various speeds, stepping both heavily and lightly through them.  I marvel at the patterns of water my boots create.  Every step revealed an artful spray that disappeared as quickly as it was created.

Down the hill ahead of me was a raging creek.  I could hear the roar well before I reached the waters’ edge and felt the enormous surge of energy as I came closer.  I was just in time for the afternoon performance.  There was a dance going on!  Swirling eddies danced in one section, leaping falls in another, and frenzied crashing lead to calmer rivulets at the side.  The water roiled and frothed below me while raindrops tapped its’ rhythmic beat on leaves overhead, leaving them with a brilliant sheen and tiny jewel-like droplet at their tips.  I paused to take a deep breath and smell the scent of a freshly washed forest.  I merged into the experience and became one with nature.

Returning home, I was drenched from the inside out.  I felt more alive than ever, having steeped my senses with nature.  My body was neither cold nor wet, but totally enlivened.  My spirit was deeply nourished from the sensory experience rain had provided.  I proceeded to hang up my rain gear as I silently expressed gratitude for their protection.  I placed my boots by a vent and a new song came to me in that moment, “Rain, rain, beautiful rain!  Come again another day!”  I made myself a cup of hot tea and revelled in the delightful discoveries of one rainy afternoon on the west coast of British Columbia.  Life is good, even when it is pouring rain outside!    

It’s snowing outside.  As limbs of trees become heavily frosted with mother nature’s icing, sweet surprises await our discovery.  A walk in the forest revealed oddly shaped patches of pristine snow on the brown and green path before me.  Looking upwards, I noticed a hole in the forest canopy where snow drifted through.  I paused to gaze upwards through the hole, expecting the cold snow to be chilly against my face.  Surprisingly, it wasn’t as icy as I expected since the warmth of my skin quickly dissolved each flake into a cool and refreshing droplet of water.

Continuing my gaze upwards, I became aware of the many different shapes coming at me.  Some were tiny specks, others medium-sized clumps but the ones that captured my attention most were the big rectangular ones. These giants floated gracefully down, sometimes swaying back and forth like an autumn leaf drifting towards the ground.  Captured by the enormity of the large flakes, I suddenly became aware of the speed other flakes were coming down.  Some spiralled quickly while others shot down like a comet.  It amazed me how this different perspective dramatically changed my experience of falling snow.  Returning my head to an upright position, I focused my gaze straight ahead.  The falling snow seemed to change its random performance to one of perfect harmony with one another.

There is always so much more to an experience than we realize.  Consider a fresh approach, look from a different angle, and try on new perspectives.  Gaze upwards occasionally to glimpse the possibilities.  Stars and constellations await your discovery.  Those stars represent your untapped potential and constellations, the dots you connect for experiencing life in a whole new way!  Seize the wonders every moment beholds.  That is where the magic of life resides!