We had today, with all of its gratefulness, all day.

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“The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

A most precious gift began with the rising of the morning sun. The gift of the opportunity to continue our journey for another day. The gift of the freedom of our choice about how we wish to utilize the new day however we so choose. In a blissful world we are often thankful to rise from our slumber to twirl once more before the sun. We are often eager to begin our day with personal tradition and routine. We greet dawn with a renewed vigor and strength, whether it be from a restful sleep or through a personal promise for improvement of any kind.

The hustle and bustle of life is a seemingly real thing. We have bills to pay, children to chauffeur, grass to mow, a house to clean, errands to run, meals to prepare. So often our days are filled with us trying to “get it all done” that we become overwhelmed and are left to settle with “there are not enough hours in a day”. With today’s progression of technology and society’s ever accelerating expectation of response time, we put ourselves into overdrive by sleeping less, eating processed foods that are quick and convenient on the run, and bypassing activities that are beneficial to our health. Before we realize it we have fallen in to a cycle that spins with the fury of a hurricane, a cycle that prevents us from receiving the gift, the cycle that robs the Universe of its gratefulness.

We all try to be grateful, rarely do we make a conscious effort to be otherwise. But what if we reconsidered our grateful actions? Generally we are grateful when we receive a gift and we appropriately show our gratitude toward the giver for it. This giving and receiving is an exchange of love, however large or small it is. In our reality world, the gift of a new day is sometimes not met with such gratitude. Perhaps we overslept and are running late, still tired from a late night watching the game on television, hungover from an evening celebration, or just overwhelmed that it is only Wednesday. Whatever our reason, the gift of a new day may appear as a curse as we begin the day with dread rather than excitement. These are the mornings where we completely miss acknowledging the giving and receiving of the gift and do not feel the exchange of love. We move through the new day caught up on the very same cycle that we ended the day before. Without a shift of mind it is the very same cycle that is likely to continue throughout many more gifts of a new day until we have spun all the way around the sun.

But, what if we are actually not the receiver of the gift of a new day? What if it were the other way around? We so often hear old sayings such as “it’s good to be on the right side of the ground” or “I must be doing something right since I am not six feet under” or my personal favorite “since I am not pushing up Daisies, must be good to be alive”. We generally accept that being alive is a good thing and that having the opportunity to be alive for another day is certainly a gift bestowed upon us. What if the true gift is actually the embrace, the gratitude, the sharing of love for this new day? Perhaps it is we who are the givers of this exquisite gift and the universe is actually the receiver. The true gift being the gratitude that we feel, the gratefulness that we share toward the Universe for this very special new day. The gift of our love that is spread toward and throughout the universe is more powerful than we could possible fathom.

When we remember momentous occasions from our life such as marriage, the birth of our children, or the shiny new bicycle that we received for Christmas as a child we experience a warm happy feeling. We enjoy this feeling. The gift giver also feels this euphoric feeling when giving. Not expecting anything in return, the giver bestows the gift as a message of love. We cannot deny that this feels good. For the moment, there is love shared in the exchange and the gratefulness that both share for this love is the gift. Without the giver and the receiver both acting together there is no true sharing of the gift and the act of love is dismissed.

Our positive reception of the new day that is presented to us is the beginning of our feeling grateful for the opportunity, for another day, to live our life with the free will to do as we choose. The Universe considers our being so great to bestow another day for us to continue our journey. Our greeting this new day with the vigor to rise to the challenges that it presents, to be kind, to live in a manner that is beneficial to all beings and to be mindful of the lessons presented to us is a supreme showing of our gratitude, a wonderful exchange of love between the Universe and ourselves. The Universe is full of greatness and the greatest feeling of being is love. Everyday we have the opportunity to experience this magnificent love and it’s our choice whether or not we do so. One of my favorite songs, and sayings for that matter, by renowned Reggae artist Clinton Fearon is “Living is an Art”. Recognizing the gift of life and sharing our gratefulness for each new day is a blessing that truly goes both ways. If living is indeed an art, perhaps Nietzsche was on point when he said “The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude”.

Photo credit, the author. Libby Hill Park, Richmond, VA at sunset.

A collection of words in Jefferson Park

One of the greatest offerings that was gifted to us on this beautiful Autumn afternoon was the energy of excitement in the air coupled with the spirit of pure creativity. 

Where do the words come from? The author who crafts a novel weaves a tapestry of words out of thin air. Ultimately, a vampire tale is spun from his mind onto the pages of his newest paperback, available for twelve dollars which we gladly forked over. The poet, whom was once a nanny for the Picasso family turned small business entrepreneur offering bicycle tours on the Capital Trail in Richmond, Virginia, greets fellow book lovers across a table filled with books that she has penned along with assorted merchandise featuring bicycles and bright colors.  Her latest book of poetry was released earlier this month, “The Grit and Joy of Being”, features a drawing of a nude figure.  I found it to be a fitting representation of the word “being”. I flipped through the pages and read several of these rich poems while my wife purchased a copy to gift to a friend. A photographer who specializes in creating moody images of old and abandoned properties throughout Virginia was pitching his new coffee table style photographic book that features a curated collection of these stormy images. Looking back now I should have purchased a copy. I know someone special who would love this book and may find inspiration in it.  I am thankful that I grabbed the author’s business card.  At least now I can order one from him. Many more tables and booths were arranged in Jefferson Park, high up on its hill overlooking the City of Richmond. These tables all displayed collections of words that their respective authors dreamed up, perhaps collected right out of thin air. We visited each and every one, some of them twice.

We learned about the Richmond Book Lover’s Festival about a week ago.  It coincided with the Oyster and Beer festival that Union Market organizes every year.  We knew it was going to be a wonderful day in our neighborhood. Two festivals that we can easily walk to that was going to supply us with books, oysters, and beer? Yes, please!  One of the greatest offerings that was gifted to us on this beautiful Autumn afternoon was the energy of excitement in the air coupled with the spirit of pure creativity.  I could see it in the eyes of the creators and the event attendees. From the authors performing extroverted duties as they try to make a living with their collection of words to the cooks making some of the most beautiful and tasty authentic Paella in 56″ pans, to the vendors selling their hand crafted specialty bloody mary mix flavors to the sweet yoga instructor introducing her soon to open neighborhood yoga studio, they all exuded an energy of excitement and their spirit of pure creativity could not be mistaken.

While I waited for our friends to regroup for the walk to Union Market, I stood in the park with the book loving crowd behind me. I stared out toward Jefferson Avenue taking a moment to recharge and just observe the scenery.  I thought about the photographer with his new photobook and how much I enjoyed his art and his charisma.  I thought about how I could create a photobook and perhaps join the book festival next year with my own table and story to tell.  I thought about the poet whose words I found to be soft and comforting.  I thought about penning a book of poetry just because I can.  I was feeling inspired by these wonderful creators. I continued my gaze and focused on the photograph that was right before my eyes. A young couple sitting on a park bench overlooking a row of traditional houses. They were joined only by the shadow a live oak tree whose leaves were beginning to turn and a single lamp post. The blue sky held wispy white clouds while the afternoon sun spoke its message of a beautiful day. I stood there in the park absorbing this wonderment.  I made the photograph that I saw and thought about where words come from. I thought about how I wanted to collect and craft words again.

It is said that a journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step. Or “you gotta start somewhere and that somewhere may as well be your right here”. I made that photograph in the park with the intention of describing the afternoon for no other purpose than “starting right here”.  The creatives that make this city their home are many.  We are fortunate to live here and to be among them, to share their energy and to create alongside them.  I may always wonder where the words come from, but for now they are right here.