Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Myopic World


When I was about 7 years old I got my first pair of glasses. Pale blue frames. Pretty, my mother said. How I hated them...I remember so clearly how furious I was about the sensation of wearing this straight jacket on my face. Temper tantrums were the norm for me if anything was uncomfortable. Maybe, as a psychologist once suggested, I was in resistance to being incarnated, which included wearing clothes, going to school and generally being pressed into a form. There was no escaping though. Breaking or losing my glasses didn't help. The next ones were even stronger.

Hey, I still wear glasses (or "specs" as Guruji Sri Vast would say in his adorable colonial English)! What I love about them now is taking them off and seeing a whole different world...one that is mega close-up or Monet-like fuzzy. It is perfect for doing artwork because I can simplify the whole scene and break it all down to shapes and forms. There is a moment of surrender to the helplessness and limitations and then it is so relaxing....to not have to see everything. To daydream. To slow it all down, let my mind go to the back burner and.... call my chauffeur to drive my car!

Then at some point I can pop them back on over my eyes to protect them from the sun and my face from close encounters. Pretend to be all competent and incarnated. Look cool with these Ray Ban-type frames and drive myself around in my myopic world.

2 comments:

kate said...

Love this photo. Rich and mesmerizing. Really pulls you in! Very Georgia O'Keefe-esque. Had a chuckle about your resistance to incarnation. Sounds like you have a few quirks. And speaking of quirks...I have tagged you! Check out my blog and find out all about it.

marlana said...

Kate, your comment is much appreciated. Definitely, I have more quirks than not. This is a photo of a rose mallow I saw in Cape Cod. The flower is about 8" across!