It's a Small World (but We can See it Clearly Now)

Windows washed?  Check.  This morning, we managed to get all the screens off and washed and to scrub the inside and out of all our windows.  Other than the fact that the inside of the house smells like a gigantic pickle jar (we use white vinegar and water), this is a good task to have accomplished.  And, it was one of the tasks on the current to-do list.  While I have yet to climb up on the roof (again) and clean the sky lights, I have confidence I may accomplish this tomorrow.  Meanwhile, things have been bustly at work too as we prepare for our annual Open House tonight.  It's Summer--so much to do!

The older I get, not only does it seem like the months and years are shorter, but the world seems smaller and smaller.  Connections seem to happen on hyper-speed and I meet people who know people I already know or find that there are only minimal degrees of separation between more and more folks.  Amazing.

As part of our Open House, we have invited in local musicians and an artist.  I wasn't involved in the selection of the artists, all I had to do was give my rubber stamp of agreement.  How tickled I was to find that the artist-in-residence tonight was to be a woman from whom I've purchased three paintings through a local gallery.  When I introduced myself to her this afternoon as both the executive director and a patron, I found out from her that I was also the first person to purchase her work through a gallery.  It was pretty fun and exciting to find ourselves connected in a new layer!  She is still painting and I am still a fan.  It will be a miracle if I get through the night without our making another acquisition!

It is easy forget that our lives are entwined with people we don't yet know.  It can also be easy to underestimate how influential and inspiring we can be just by going about our ordinary lives.  I look at the art that she has created every day in both our kitchen and our sunny yellow living room, and it brings me inspired joy and yet she has had no idea.  As I have been sharing our story here on this blog, I am constantly amazed at the connections, feedback and ways that people respond around it.  Even when we feel as though we are on the outside looking in, we might be more connected, centered and pivotal than we know.

The windows are clean, the sunlight is shining in, someone else's creations keep an eye on my daily life and this Summer world feels incredibly small and cozy.