Old Dream

This morning I remembered a dream I had a long time ago. At the time I was studying watercolor and was painting daily. I was dreaming about making a living as an artist. The dream was of an artist whose life had a grand order. He would wake, conceive of what his work was to be that day, and proceed. If he was going to do a watercolor of a flower still life, he would get the flowers, arrange them and proceed.

I found in painting there were certain rituals of preparation that naturally evolved. Setting up the paints and brushes, arranging the workspace for optimum efficiency, etc. When I was drawing, I would have to sharpen pencils and this naturally lent itself to a contemplative state.

So the work would be executed, a reflection of the contemplation of the Love of God. Would be nice if all of life could proceed with this kind of order and beauty. A lovely dream. Sometimes this kind of order can be achieved in art, less frequently in life.

Especially now it is good to be reminded of that dream as I contemplate the pile of boxes in front of me. Having moved, my current task is to unpack and put my things in order. I intend to do it in the same spirit as the artist in the above dream. The differentation between sublime and mundane is just one of perception. All tasks can be done in a spirit of love.