Reading harold_maude's journal

Today has been brillant. Not so much in the weather, although the sun is blazing away in a sea of saphire, but the little things, one by one, and the sheer enjoyment that each thing brought with it.
Maybe I just got to see the world for a little while from a clear place.

It started last night. We had our first social gathering, ie. a fire in over a year.
People actually showed up.
The fire itself was this mountian of brush, branches and peices of furniture that needed to be put out of their misery.
Inspite of being sprayed with water, it took off and made this amazing roar of yellow white light.
Every thing around it was soaked with water as well because with the wind that was blowing it could have ignited a couple of buildings and set a good portion of the farm on fire.
It was magnificant.

As it got later into the evening, and no one had come yet, I began to think, here we go again.
No one is going to come. There will be the same round of reasons as to why they couldn't come, and even though those of us who live here will have a great time, it will be missing the company of people who would add to how good it can be.

Then about 11:30 they started rolling in.
I'm glad I was wrong about people not showing up. The people who did come were the perfect blend of individuals.
It reminded me of sitting down to a really awesome dinner.
:)

Since some of the people who came are familiar with my art, the question of new work came up.
I brought some peices I've been working on, transitional mostly, going from watercolor alone to watercolor bases with pen and ink over it.
One of the guys found a peice that he fell in love with, which always makes me happy.
And he asked how much I wanted for it, I hate that part.
I find the idea of someone asking me for a price on something I got to participate in because I generally have no idea.
Art is like breathing for me.
How can you put a price tag on breathing?

I asked him to make me an offer I can't refuse. I love approaching things that way because it gives a person a chance to tell me by what they offer me it's value to them.
But I find that most people have trouble dealing with buying things that way, due to they normally don't have to think about the value of something they want.

But me being me and the idea of throwing out the box going 70 miles down the freeway, which from my perspective is what is really going on when you ask someone to make you an offer you can't refuse, is delicious.

So we talk abit about it, and I decide on 40 dollars.
Then he hands me a 50, and tells me it's worth alot more, but that's all he had with him.
That was extrodinary. The idea that someone would feel that way and be willing with out fussing and complaining about the price of something, is what made it extrodinary for me.

Earlier in the day I had just finished spending almost all the change I had left to buy gas with and was wondering if my final check had come in early because of the holiday on monday, and knowing I would be driving on monday, wondering if the amount of gas I bought would be enough til tuesday when the banks would be open and then there would be enough to fill the gas tank.

Now to understand the whole picture fully, what I consider of great value in terms of material things no one else seems to share my view.
I have nothing that I can pawn off if the need arises.
And it was at that point yesterday that it would have been great to be able to go to the pawn shop and get enough money to at least put the tank at half full.
But there was nothing.
Then the painting sold. 50 bucks. I filled the gas tank and even got to buy toilet paper which we were completely out of and food too!
Everything I put into my cart at the grocery store was wonderful.
To not have to count change and know that there was enough.
What a gift.

What makes it even better is this, the check did come, but almost all of the money is earmarked for something.
There is just enough in the check for some very basic things.
And since I'm jobless again, the food money is a very small part of that check.

Needless to say, tonight I'm making burgers with cheese, and we're having grapes for desert.
They are going to taste beyond amazing.
And when dinner is done, we'll just hang out until the stars come out and then we'll go outside and enjoy the night sky, and ponder deep things and ask questions and dream.

It's been a perfect day. Actually a perfect weekend. A long time comming. But well worth waiting for. :)

It only looks that way because your standing on your head.