uninhibited

aiden scout gamble

this is joy.

this is uninhibited, untouched, unspoiled childlike true joy.

yesterday I watched aiden eat a cup of chocolate chocolate chip gelato and she did it with such excitement as the liquidy goodness covered Aiden from head to toe. some of it actually did make it in her mouth! the "ice cream" was a reward for going in the poddy; kara and I made sure she made the connection. And we all laughed heartily. aiden would say something that would cause her to laugh (though it was something of gibberish) and we would laugh with her. we sat at a table at Central Market by the "wee" and laughed and laughed. aiden did get to play some too. but we mainly laughed. for no reason other than the fun and joy of laughter.

being an aunt makes me quite happy and does give me joy. on the birth of his nephew, vincent van gogh created one of the most beautiful paintings (in my estimation), inspired by new life. (Vincent, as christened after his uncle, was the son of van gogh's brother theo and was born on my birthday though over a hundred years earlier). it is the blooming almond branch on a peaceful sky-blue back ground. i saw the original in amsterdam and was awe struck by it's beauty. there is such richness in the blue; somehow it captures the essence of peace. the almond branch seems as if it is literally coming to life and will reach out of the painting towards you. i see things so holistically that it is so difficult for me to pull out the small details of the painting to give it justice. this painting i felt. at a time when nothing could touch me, nothing beautiful nothing ugly, this painting did.

the colors of this copy do not give it justice. seeing it in its originality is the only way to really experience the painting.