What I wanted to paint, was pain, invisible pain. Emotional pain, pain that doesn't bleed, burn, or break the skin, yet hurts none the less.
Why paint pain? because sometimes painting (sketching, drawing, writing) hard to get at emotions can be quite liberating.
So what does pain look like? Searching for inspiration a face kept popping up.
I couldn't remember where I had seen it, but I knew I had done a small sketch of it somewhere.
The problem was, the image radiated kindness, inner beauty, and harmony, not pain.
It was just a small line drawing on a piece of tracing paper, but my muse kept telling me that I needed to do a proper painting of it and who am I to argue with the muse?
What emerged as I kept painting, was this cherry blossom girl, painted in soft pastel colours and almost the very antithesis of what I was feeling.
What was the muse trying to tell me?
Is kindness a panacea (in Greek mythology Goddess of Universal remedy) for emotional pain?
Some say that some of the effects of experiencing kindness can give us a greater sense of calmness, we may feel more relaxed, which may in turn increase our energy levels and our over-all sense of well-being.
Example: You're having a bad day and you feel like the universe is against you, then out of the blue someone extends an act of kindness toward you. How does that make you feel? Better?
Amazingly, kindness works both ways: both the giver and the receiver benefits from it.
One of the great things about kindness in my view is that size doesn't seem to matter.
A smile, a "thank you", a "please", giving up a seat, an encouraging pat on the shoulder, a listening ear,
a "let me help you with that", a "you look a bit stressed, anything I can help you with?", holding up a door, may all be "small" gestures of kindness, but they may have a big impact on the receiver.
(Research supports the idea that people who engage in acts of kindness become happier as a result.)
As I am writing this, a kindness from an unexpected source, was just extended to me.
My car mechanic just phoned to tell me that he has deducted $60 from my bill, as a gesture of kindness and good will. Unexpected, and very much appreciated. (Go you little oxytocins! Oxytocin= a kind of hormone which dilates the blood vessels and makes us "feel" good.)
According to researchers, kindness and generosity has a positive psychological effect on us because kindness potentially offer us a sense of feeling that we are doing something that matters.
Feeling a bit gloomy? Try a bit of kindness.
Feeling a bit lonely? Try a bit of kindness.
Feeling a bit left out? Try a bit of kindness.
Feeling a bit fragile? Try a bit of kindness.
Feeling happy? Share a bit of kindness.
Feeling strong? Share a bit of kindness.
Feeling lucky? Share a bit of kindness.
"Wherever there is a human in need, there is an opportunity for kindness
and to make a difference." (Kevin Heath)
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