A plein-air way of living, Entry 1

Day 2 in Barcelona, I sit down to write out my first reflection. Still very tired, calming down from the long travel, and handling some baggage damage and missing pieces, I took myself around the city to get acquainted with where I will be living for the next 3 weeks, and of course, where I will be painting. It has dawned on me that I’ve been at this way of living for 15+ years now, and as familiar as it has been, it feels so unfamiliar. Going from car and a cart to lug my items around, I have moved to be on foot and compact equipment that fits in a single backpack. Without even painting yet, I am nervous to go out there and paint around 100’s of people I do not know, who speak another language, and the biggest concern being “where will I pee?!” Having been through most of this before, I feel like I am doing this for the first time. I also feel silly saying that, but hey just being real over here. 

To start my day as if I were to go out and paint, I took some time to take care of my mind and body. With a nice terrace outside the hostel, in the middle of many apartment buildings, I began my stretching and yoga session without the care that many eyes could be on me (even though I'm sure many were at work). After my yoga, I went into a guided meditation that was perfect for today. It guided me to give thanks to this body that does so many things for me without even asking. I thought about all my years on this earth, what it has done, and where it has gone, and how it got me here. The gratitude I felt made it all feel like a miracle.

The second half of the meditation guided me to imagine the sunshine at the tip of my toes, slowly making its way up my body and over my eyes. All at the same time, feeling one with the ever unfolding universe, I hold awareness in this life, as others proceed in their obstacles. Opening my eyes, slowly getting up, I make my way to enjoy a long shower (in the itty bitty little hostel shower) and journal over a poor man's breakfast of oatmeal and apples (as I will gladly enjoy through this entire trip). Around noon, I walked out the door with a new hostel friend to walk through the streets of Barcelona.

The sunshine was out today with a nice breeze to keep you cool. About *63, It felt perfect for plein-air painting. Looking up most of the time, with tall ornate apartment buildings with balconies and large windows, I viewed various corners that grabbed my attention. I have a love for staggered street scenes consisting of lamps, road signs and trees. It is a different look than I have seen before, so I was already brainstorming the best way to capture these views of mine. Strolling slowly across different streets and plazas, I walked by a hat shop and had to pop in. I quickly thought of my Aunt Valerie who recently handed down about 20 vintage hats from my Uncle PJ’s great, great aunt. I walked into the store and the woman began to speak Catalan to me. I gently said “no habla espanol.” She kindly and fluently switched over to english and I began to tell her my heartfelt story. I felt so inspired that I then asked her if she would have me in her store to create a painting of her hat display. She took well to the idea and said yes. She continued to provide me with the store hours and handed me a postcard with her information. I plan to email her right after I complete my last words in this reflection. I cannot wait to paint and write about the experience.

Making our way to the water (that was our goal) my eyes were blessed with many beautiful historical sites such as Parc de la Cuitadella, Parlament de Catalunya and Barceloneta; the beachfront area of Barcelona where I could see a big mix of tourists doing tourist things, and locals taking the day to run, rollerblade, work out or enjoy a cup of espresso. If you are wondering what tourist things are, as I viewed on day 2, taking pictures of everything, visiting historical sites, and eating at tourist restaurants.

I will most likely do some of those tourist things later in my trip when my partner comes to visit me for my birthday week. Yes my birthday comes around on April 21st, which leads me into how meaningful this trip is to me. This trip is not just about traveling to a foreign country, plein-air painting, or getting out of my comfort zone. It is about a loss that has permanently changed me, scared me, challenged me, and turned into so many more losses and gains that now has me waking up each day in a present grace with God. 

10 years ago my catastrophic loss of my mother placed me on a path of resilience that led me to seek my truth. Not realizing this at the time, I made a decision to take my first step towards my dreams because I never knew when it could be my time. Without much knowledge in traveling but a precious curiosity, I decided to begin my journey. Every year, around my birthday month, I decided to pick a different destination. From Nicaragua to Puerto Rico, driving across many states, and fun car trips with my bestie Gwennie from San Francisco to San Diego, I started to experience the world a little more, adding my passion for plein-air painting and learning a lot about myself. Having a gift for the arts, I also found that I had a special skill in forward thinking and/or problem solving. It may have been the 9 years I worked as a social worker that did it! (crazy emoji face goes here) I’ll save that for another “blogg.”

Plein-air, observing, has been a provider, a provider of knowledge, skills, answers, and keeper of curiosity. Standing still and observing is like meditation, once still, one can process, clear the mind, and flow into the heart. May my heart continue to lead the way during my life here on earth, protect me during my travels, and bring about people, places and experiences that will only help me grow, connect with the world, and be the change I want to see.