More lessons from art class

My art teacher (see my blog from last week) reminded us this week about something that just translated for me so widely to life and life's questions (at least my life and my life's questions). We think we know what we are looking at. Right? I see an apple on the table. It's red, roundish, probably tastes good. Looks ripe. Easy.

So, try to draw that apple. Now, I'm not saying everyone has the same artistic talent. But I am suggesting that you try. Or, if you really don't want to do that, okay -- sit back and take a much closer look.

Because I guarantee it isn't just red. Or round. It's about 20 shades of red and yellow and green and so many other colors. And it's not round, it's, well, apple-shaped. And that apple is different from any other apple in the bag. It has shadows on it, and light. There's a table under it or a plate or mat. And there are shadows on that table, under the apple. But not just one shadow, but a gradation of darkness to light with -- really -- no border at all!

Here's the point. We can easily run through a day (or a life) without realizing that everything we see is not always what we think. We look and think, "I know what I'm looking at." In truth, we don't even know what we think we know.

This week, look around you and look deeply. Pick anything! An apple. A coffe cup. A plant or tree or person. Look carefully. See where the light falls. See how many colors of red there really are in an apple. See how many leaves are on the trees. See the life on a person's face. Look deeply. Look easily. Suspend your "knowledge" for a moment, for a time, for a while. And then, look. And look again.

Just be. And then see.