Home is Where the Heart/Art Is

Where do I start?  So much to share in just one day.

1) Doing What I Love:

I spent the day doing what I love – painting, creating, eating delicious & healthy food. What a blessing!   Being with others in similar states of being and enjoying is also wonderful. Our “Free Your Expression” workshop with Amanda Sage continues.  Although I spent some time playing in a collaborative musical chairs style drawing game (going around in circles, changing spots every 10-60 seconds), I spent most of the day absorbed in my little joyful world of creativity (a couple more trees for the Pay What You Want table tomorrow). One of our classmates has been coordinating the catering of raw organic vegetarian lunches this week from Dancing Shiva – a pure and energizing delight that adds to the experience. What a great day!

2) New Home for “Spirit of Umbria – Dancing with Saint Francis”

After school, I met up with Helmut, the man I met at Ananda in Italy and who drove me and my huge painting back to Austria. Well, the painting went on a longer road trip than I did. While I stayed in Salzburg for a visit with my new friend Regine and then took the train home, my painting (and Helmut) went to a conference in Munich, came back to a small town in Austria where it spent time on a wall, and then made it to Vienna yesterday.  It didn’t make it out of the car though…  Helmut decided he wanted to bring it back home with him, and so instead of bringing it to school to stretch and hang in this weekend’s exhibition, we brought the stretcher bars from the school to his car.  I’m thrilled that it has found a good home – with a friend who shared in the experience of Umbria and witnessed its creation. It feels great on so many levels!

Once easy negotiations and logistics were taken care of, Helmut guided me around downtown Vienna to spots I hadn’t seen before.  In 1850, the city’s wall were torn down to make way for Ring Road.  The city was expanding and there wasn’t the need anymore for protective fortifications. Wall were torn down to make room for growth.  I love the symbolism of that. I also love fact that parts of the wall are still visible in the streets and inside buildings.  I hadn’t noticed them before (or thought they were old Roman ruins), but those walls sometimes became the foundation for something new, something better.  Again, great symbolism.

After our walk, we sat on the terrace of one of Helmut’s favourite restaurants (he used to live in Vienna) and enjoyed a great meal and wonderful conversation.  When I left downtown at 11:30pm, it was still filled with crowds enjoying the city and the more breezy weather.  What a lovely evening!

3) New Home In Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada.

I’m also thrilled to share that I’ve found a place to live in St. John’s, NL.  I had put ads online a month ago and sent an email request through friends and the yoga community a couple of times in the last few months.  A couple of people emailed me at first, and although I felt so grateful to know there were possibilities, they didn’t feel quite right.  Looking at online listings wasn’t very encouraging.  One day before my trip to Italy, however, I received an email from a lady who had received my forwarded email from a friend.  She had been moved to open her home and had just asked for guidance on who she was meant to open it to (yes, she speaks my language).  Soon after she asked, my request arrived in her inbox.  We’ve been having delightful, honest, open-hearted email discussions ever since.  Although it felt right from the start (from the right brain, intuitive side), my left brain wanted to get involved, had a zillion questions, and got stuck on the fact that it’s far from the university.  Apart from that, however, both she as a roommate, and the home completely fulfilled the list of criteria I had written in my email request.

Yesterday, my friend Cheryl went to visit.  She knows me well and could be my eyes, as I hadn’t seen photos yet.  After a delightful 1.5-hour visit in my new home, her first sentence in her email report was “It’s perfect for you”.  It’s what my left brain needed, and I emailed to accept/thank before Cheryl had even processed and sent the photos via several other emails.  When I got those, my heart simply rejoiced.  I will be living with a like-minded spiritual being (she used to lead A Course in Miracles groups in the space that I can use as my studio – how energetically perfect is that!) in a beautiful and spacious home in a gorgeous natural setting.   The backyard is right on a small river that leads to the St. John’s harbour and the ocean.  The area is surrounded by walking paths and is close to the huge Bowring Park.  My prayers have been answered.  It may be 1.5 hour walk to school or 45 minutes by bus, but my new roommate believes some of the neighbours work at MUN, so I may be able to carpool for the 5-week teaching contract that begins the week of my arrival.  I trust it will all happen with ease & grace.  The Universe keeps showing me that it can.

4) New Homes for All my Art

Speaking of ease and grace, I also trust that the rest of my paintings here in Vienna and the few in Canada will find new homes.  My art supply budget is already off to a great start and  our graduation exhibition starts tomorrow – so very busy few days ahead.  I’ll be there all day / evening today, tomorrow, and am managing the exhibition on Sunday.  Spread the word. Thanks.