Into the Water

A person can spend a great deal of time on the 'shores' of life; playing, pretending they are living life. We pretend the world is a dangerous place to be, that it is a huge evil machine, teeth prepared to bear down and destroy us. All this while enjoying comforts that matured in the last 100 years or so. We dream and scheme, of a life richer and worth living, but we remain distant from it, blaming the big scarey monster for blocking our way. We never take a moment to dip our big toe in an adventure; we do our best to ensure our children learn to be as afraid as we are.

But one has to go beyond the shoreline of life. Whether you wade into the water, run into it or dive into the wake, it's time to leave the safety and miserable comfort we've come to know. It's time to dive into the dreams we keep to ourselves. The dreams don't need shelter or safety, because in them is the wonder of miracles, of life lived boldly. Our dreams contain the matter of vibrant living and lives that connect us all. Yes, your dream contains the stuff that makes this world seem like a world of wonder and love.

The "Be-Working" Hour

Way back in the day, I would be up at this time of the morning (2:00 am), painting or drawing, trying to finish something for a class the next day. "No-doz," tea; trying to stay awake, and nothing worked at the time. If only I had known about lighting a fire in the belly...

So it's 2009, and I'm wide awake and because I need to be at a job in the morning, I need medicine to force sleep. I'll close my eyes in a bit, and images will flash across my mind, frozen in a moment, challenging me to remember - or better yet, get up and put them on paper - to paint, draw and otherwise. This is my working hour, where my energy seems to ramp up with the words I write as well as the images I work on. It's funny; when age and sensibility tells me to get a good night's sleep, I'm willing to stay awake and work. When I'm sitting at the desk during the day, I'm thinking about drawings and paintings, detailing the colors I would like to use. This hour, this time, is the true bewitching - I mean 'be-working hour!'

Better Go to bed ~ Cat Naps

I'm finding this to be true: more people have insomnia than is talked about. I hesitate to say "suffer from," because for some - like me - it's a welcome change from the noise of the day, the pull of several tasks at once and allows me to work in solitude. Mind you, with that being said, there are days when I long for my college days. I've always been the person who could doze at a heartbeat, sitting in lecture halls or in the library, asleep. I would ride the train to and from school, catching naps in between stops, not really sleeping but in a state of 40-winks-between-Clinton-and-Halsted (you have to live in Chicago to know about that!) way.

I wasn't surprised when I begin a graduate program in 2008, when I would come home from work, study a bit, sleep a bit and spend half the night working on a paper or studying. And though I had a full 8 hour work day ahead of me, I fell into a pattern of sleeping when I could, dozing when I could, and napping at lunch.

I don't mind, I think it's the 'big cat' nature of mine that allows me to be up a few hours in the middle of the night. It's peaceful, relaxing and empowering at the same time. But there's always time for a nap! Nighty-night all!

Beginning Fall for Francene

I woke at 3:00 this morning, slightly intentionally. I had to start this picture. I'm laying the groundwork by starting off with a water color sky. A few hours later - almost another day beginning in a minute - and I want deeper color to represent the sky. Next will come the leaves.

If you're on Facebook and haven't seen it yet, I've set up a fan page for my gallery. Who knows? Someday I may be hosting other artists! Check it out: Hudson Gallery - The World of Art by Eddie L Hudson