I Like This

My adventure to New York City gave me a new per
spective on the world around me. It's not really a grand discovery, just a fresh way of looking. I'm sure it's related in some way to my list of 1000 Gifts, as well as the cry of the artist buried deep within. Staying in the home of an actual artist contributed greatly, partly because of looking at the world through Danny's eyes, and partly because of his vehement statements that we should avoid the "furniture" section of the art museum at all costs. He was rather disappointed when he found we had toured the furniture section and actually enjoyed it. "You see furniture every day!" he lamented.

I found myself smiling at the thought of this man, a plein aire painter, distressed at our interest in furniture. Of course, my husband builds furniture and he has very little interest in paintings and sculptures. (At this point I was somewhat relieved I was there with Hannah rather than James.) "But you see paintings every day," Hannah replied. I shot her a look and hoped she wouldn't say anything else, but it was true. In his zeal for what he had identified as "art," Danny had failed to see art of another kind.

For the remainder of the trip I found myself looking at the world around me in a new way. "Look, Hannah," I would say as I pointed to an ornate building, "Art!" On our last morning, as I was chasing Hannah through Battery Park, I pointed to a structure and said, "What do you suppose that is?" (I was serious...) She gave me one of those "really Mom?" looks, quipped "Art" and kept on walking. I stopped and snapped a picture.