Saturday 6 March 2010

Walking and Running

Spring brings thoughts of longer days and daylight runs. If you have ever gone running in the streets you will be aware of the many hazards that this activity brings with it. The unseen potholes ready to trip you up, the dogs that run at you and frighten the life out of you. Then there are those who either cannot run or choose not to run or who are too lazy to make the effort but still feel they have to shout comments at those who do. The favourite seems to be, “Keep on running.” It used to annoy me but no more. Now if they shout that at me I am just so happy that they notice I am not walking.


Hold that thought in your mind.

Every year the new intake of students where I taught would have heard enough about Mr. T. to know that he could take a joke, so there was always some who wanted to point out my white hair and their youth. My way of overcoming this was to lay down the challenge of a race, a short but hilly six miles. There was always the odd few who were foolish enough to try. One year was different. On my giving out the challenge a voice was heard to say, “Don’t be silly, he took my big brother out for a run and he was in bed for two days after it.”

Hold that thought in your mind.

I remember running with a very good athlete on a training run. As we ran he said, “This is lovely you should always run at a pace where it is still possible to hold a conversation.” I replied, “I hope you notice then that this is a one sided conversation.”

Hold that thought in your mind.

Now have you noticed what I have done? You are now trying to hold three thoughts in your head and wondering what one to think about first. You are now multi-tasking with the brain. I am sure you all know that multi-tasking is a female thing; men don’t do multi-tasking. So I am continually informed.

The Toa says when you walk, walk, when you run, then run. In other words, one thing at a time and that one thing to the best of your ability. Who am I to suggest that multi-tasking is not possible. But if something is to be done to the very best of ones ability it requires all of the thought process for that one action. If the artist is to produce a meaningful piece of art then it calls for the full interaction of the artist with the work in hand. Recently I was struggling with two paintings. A fellow artist said, “Lay one aside and just look at the one.” So simple but it worked both were soon completed. If this is true for the artist it is true for everything else in life. One thing at a time done well.

This is the way of the Tao.

5 comments:

  1. Very nice painting! I really like the texture in the flowers!

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  2. I am a multitasker.....cannot do one thing at a time....too manhy things to do. The same with painting....I will have at least three on the go; but then working in oils I am always waiting for something to reach the right tack. Having said I have three (sometimes four) on the go at the same time.....when I am working on the current one, I find I am able to zero in and give that particular canvas my total and undivided attention.....and can immediately turn the attention to the next with equal concentration. Don't know what it would be like to do one thing at a time. So much to see....so much to paint....so much to do.

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  3. Hmm.
    Nice painting. great texture.

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  4. In reality Ruby are you describing multi tasking? Seems to me you do one thing at a time just that you do them one after the other rather than wait on each one finishing. Now if you had two brushes one in each hand and two canvas that would be multi tasking. LOL

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  5. Perhaps....but how do you explain, untying your shoes, taking off your coat and gloves, while riding an elevator........talking on the telephone and writing a grocery list at the same time? Writing documentation and talking on the telephone on an unrelated matter? Multi-tasking?

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