Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Humbled

Continuing on from an earlier post, about my birthday walking activities, I just wanted to write about a significant moment of the big celebrations - something thats been playing on my mind. On the actual morning of my 40th birthday I woke up feeling kinda excited, and a bit like a kid with all that silly and happy enthusiasm for the day! The holiday house we were staying in was full of family and friends, we had a walk in the snow planned for the morning, as well as a swanky session at the spa, followed by an evening with more friends coming up from Launceston to join us for dinner. Nice. And it was OK that my mum and sisters had given me my present before the big day, as I'd still recieve a few presents and cards; from the kids, and my significant other. So, I was sitting in bed, with expectations of the family ritual... cuppa tea and cards and a few pressies. Right? Isnt that what should happen on your birthday? Prepared to forgo the tea in bed scenario, as S was still asleep and looking in need of some rest, I went down to the kitchen. My mum made me a cuppa, and some lovely birthday hugs and kisses were shared. So far so good. The kids were upstairs playing, so I snuck back to bed. S was up, and explained that the present was back at home as it was too difficult to bring it on holiday with us. OK. No card, no pressie from my fella on my birthday. Hmmmmm..... And then he tells me that there was a bit of a problem organising something from the kids. They had each been given a little money and a little time with Dad, to find something for me. Daughter number 1 had been unable to find a suitable present, had a bit of a hissy-fit over this, then mucked up the card she had made for me, so I wasnt getting anything from her. That news wasnt so good. Then it transpired Daughter 2 had lost her present, but was working on a card. OK. I took a deep breath.

I went off the the shower and had a bit of a cry. How juvenile is that! There were to be no presents and maybe a card, it appeared at this stage. And yet I had my family here, and some good friends had come from afar to be with me, and there were certainly lovely presents both before and after the actual day, so what was my problem? I couldnt believe that the lack of material presents, right when I expected 'em would upset me. Surely Im not that small minded. My reaction was so much like a spoilt child, and I was more than a little ashamed. I quickly snapped out of it, had some lovely cuddles with my kids (and a beautiful present from my daughter number 2, which was found) and a wee card she had coloured. Magic. All OK.

So imagine how I felt when we arrived back home, and S showed me the present he had for me? I felt very small indeed. Under a huge sheet was a magnificent artwork by a very good friend of ours, and my walking buddy M. I was gobsmacked! Partly as the painting is so huge, but also as they had managed to organise all this without me knowing, and get it into the house, and into position with me completely unaware. Even more beautiful were the ideas that inspired the work. M had folded the canvas in her backpack and taken it up several mountains in Tassie. This preparation of the canvas had taken a few years (and was done before we met her and we walked together). Im not sure when she completed the work, but it was before I knew her, and there is a companion piece hanging in the Hobart gallery. The image, well, I'll leave you to guess its inspiration. And its meanings may well be many and richly interpreted. Its certainly a painting with a story to tell!

7 comments:

  1. It looks magic...as if every time you see it, knowing the story of the canvas, you could see more on it...beautiful.

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  2. wow. i knew the tale from a moment in Bali, but that piece is truly beautiful. My kind of art. She's one talented woman. And just to make you feel better, i remember my first mothers day, full of anticipation and expectation (unbeknownst at the time) and the bloke pretended to forget just to generate bigger love..well i had a good ole cry in between that and the actual gift scenario! Felt pretty stupid at getting all het up about a gift, but theyre symbolic of peoples time, energies, thoughts....

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  3. Hi Jen

    what a special gift...can you give us some background information on the image...

    Happy days

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  4. it's a beautiful painting jen, what a talented friend and lovely partner you have.

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  5. Delwyn - apparently the image of the woman is drawn from Vemeer's girl with a pearl earing. I'll ask M why her mouth is not shown, and is in fact 'blacked out'. This may well be a feminist commentary on the role of women in 17 C Dutch society, or just generally as the painter's muse. She has the face of an ordininary woman and is perhaps 'every woman'. When I saw her eyes, I saw something of myself reflected in them.

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  6. Kel- ta for your assuring story. You are right, they are symbolic of so much more than the the actual gift can embody. So whe you think you're not getting one, I guess you feel a little neglected.

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  7. I'm also imagining that you were really longing also for appreciation and celebration with your closest ones on the day ... I guess it's just that our monkey minds get stuck on a particular way of getting those needs met - which become our projected expectations (tea and pressies in bed). I'm impressed with how quickly you could pull out of those strong feelings at the time!!

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