"Ascension" acrylic on wood, Feb. 2009

I will turn 40 this summer. I don’t think I ever had any preconceived notions of where I might be at this point on my life journey when I was in my 20s or even in my early 30s. So I am now discovering this interesting place in the aftermath of a massive life overhaul.

Within the last three years I have divorced, quit a job, started my own business, cut-off hair that spiraled about halfway down my back (in stages to the point of shaving my head bald), remarried and shifted every aspect of my daily life. I have begun to consider and reconsider everything I once viewed as “important” or “critical.”

As a result, or quite possibly by complete coincidence , I am beginning to discover this beautiful space within simplicity that allows me to breathe and live with a full presence I have not known before. I have downsized my home and the volume of “stuff” that I once worked so hard to acquire. I am delighted by the majesty of so much that I dismissed far too easily before … a magnificent sunset, the bliss of a hot cup of tea, the pleasure of and extra 2 minutes in an exceptionally hot shower, sharing a meal and laughter with a dear friend.

Yes, I know this sounds like a sappy Hallmark card. But there is a deep significance to this simplification. For the QUALITY of my being has expanded profoundly as I have eased back from pushing the QUANTITY of my life. This directly related to a previous post I authored about “being” instead of “doing.”

And maybe this can all be dismissed as the musings of one of those odd artist-type weirdos. But I am finding a special delight in the detail and wonder of the most elemental aspects of my new life … I feel so blessed.