Going Up in Smoke

June 21, 2023

Going Up in Smoke

To look for the good
in some other circumstance
than the one in which we find ourselves
is to trash the only happiness
we will ever have:
now.
Whether it pleases us or not,
each moment is a gift.
No matter how unpleasant the wrapping,
inside is something wonderful
that life wants to give us.

—Polly Berrien Berends, Coming to Life

Smoke from Canadian wildfires chose our vacation time and location to make itself dangerously known. We had to cancel.

Very unpleasant wrapping.

Very.

But we unwrapped the circumstance in which we found ourselves—kicking and screaming more than once—and opened ourselves to the ‘something wonderful’ within, creating a vacation from a base that we referred to as The Rental, a rental that looked just like our own home!

We fashioned a surprisingly rich and satisfying 10-day adventure from which we ‘returned’ refreshed and uplifted. We’re still shaking our heads in wonder.

I’m also shaking my head in wonder—read that as scratching my head in dismay—at what the heck has evolved with a painting I started before vacation.

Whether it pleases me or not—and, make no mistake, dear reader, it does not, it is the circumstance in which I find myself.

More unwrapping to do!

artist at play

neurographic art, simone's colors, the circumstance in which i find myself, unwrapping now

Posted by:

Dotty Seiter

10 responses to “Going Up in Smoke”

Lola

June 21, 2023 at 3:03 pm

oh, oh and OH! I am presently in the middle of unwrapping something that is beyond unpleasant, with life-long implications (backwards and forwards). Your post, and your ability to shake your heads with wonder at what you’ve found in the process of unwrapping and responding, has me hopeful and determined.

As for the art, because of this mood your post has created, I see nothing but determination. xo

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  June 21, 2023 at 3:26 pm
  
  Lola, sending you tenderness and a hug as you unwrap, you who are no stranger to unwrapping. I share your hopefulness, affirm your determination.
  
  I’m grateful for your seeing ‘nothing but determination’ in the art I’ve posted today!
  
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Joany

June 21, 2023 at 5:18 pm

LOL that you called your home “The Rental” after having to redirect your plans. Kudos to you for making lemonade from the lemons you were given!

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  June 21, 2023 at 6:54 pm
  
  Joje, we commented frequently on the magnificent gardens our Hosts had and the appealing interior decor of The Rental—the carpeting in the family room was only a week old and two brand spanking new couches had been delivered just two days before we took up residence : )
  
  Thanks for appreciating our attentiveness to the here and now of our situation!
  
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Joyful Puttering

June 21, 2023 at 7:51 pm

Oh my….I am so sorry. But good for you for finding something “wonderful within!” I love that phrase…and will think of it when Paul and I choose to stay home more and more. We’ve always said there is so much wonderful within an hour or two in every direction. Oh yes….you’ll find your way with this piece. You always do.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  June 21, 2023 at 8:05 pm
  
  You are so right about there being so much wonderful right in front of our noses. The stage directions for our 10-day role-play stated that every place we went had to be new to us—trails, grocery store, state parks, seafood store, gas station, Starbucks locations, museums, neighborhoods to walk. We went somewhere every morning, afternoon, and evening and never ran out of treasure hidden in plain sight!
  
  Thanks for encouraging me with my current stalled painting. It was asking for a bold black swipe, so I complied. Then it said, Just kidding! I’ve got my work cut out for me.
  
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carolee36

June 22, 2023 at 10:20 am

How wonderful for you! Hope to hear more about the wonderful places and adventures from your “rental”. No worries about your stalled painting. It’s not going anywhere.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  June 22, 2023 at 10:52 am
  
  Carol, thanks for celebrating our adventures while vacationing at The Rental! And thanks for your keep-calm-and-carry-on reassurance that I need have ‘no worries’ about my stalled painting.
  
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Sheila Marie Delgado

June 25, 2023 at 4:43 pm

Bummer! Major bummer! But it is a silver lining that you were not already there, and had to turn around. Still loving this sunny palette. But having seen your posts in reverse, I do agree with your need for more unwrapping. LOL.

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1. Dotty Seiter
  
  June 25, 2023 at 6:31 pm
  
  Sheila, thanks for your sympathy regarding our wannabe vacation. Having to cancel was a bitter pill to swallow and the pain of the loss flared viciously off and on for a day or too before we hit our stride.
  
  And then we created a magnificent week for ourselves!
  
  I like your perception of a ‘sunny palette’ : )
  
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