kindness matters

 
 (kindness matters. new print available here)

This is an older original (one that I never shared - from 2007 maybe?) that I recently found in the archives. With fresh eyes, I see her more clearly now. I didn't like her much in 2007 but now I see her softness. Funny how that happens. You know how when you see photos of yourself that you don't like only to stumble upon that same photo years later with a fresh new perspective: Oh I was totally cute then! Oh I was so skinny! I wish I had that hairdo again!

Whew. We are our own worst critics. Yet time softens us and we see our past selves with a bit more compassion, see our old paintings with a bit more openness, our old writings with a bit more clarity. Or perhaps time hardens us. I was thinking about this the other day. I don't want to harden as I get older. I want to soften within all the tumbling of experiences. And I want to stay kind. Because, you know, kindness matters. Like a lot, a lot, a lot.

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ps: Speaking of kindness, thank you to Where Women Create (man, I LOVE LOVE this publication!) for featuring one of my paintings on their last page - such an honor.