HeArt and Soul

Ha! I can remember when we would get together at friends' houses in high school and someone would always manage to get to the piano and play "Heart and Soul." Those plinking notes still run through my head and give me a smile.

Well, I was thinking more about heart and soul in the sense of that quote from The Little Prince. Seeing with the heart. I don't want to give the impression that this is the only way to look at the world, but we live in such a fast-paced times with so much emphasis on technology, that I think we need to take time to look with the heart a little bit every day. I guess it's a sort of "stop and smell the roses" thing. Take time to look at things with a different perspective--less analytical and rational; more with the senses.

I like to take photos and crop them, enlarge sections that look interesting, then see what I end up with. I don't consider myself a photographer. I just like to look at interesting things and look at things in interesting ways.

Here is a closer look at one of the irises in my yard.

I think this is an example of the art that
Nature has to offer us. I love the forms and
shapes, the textures and colors, how the light
plays on the surfaces and the interesting effects created by the shadows. It also makes me think about the concept of what art is. Again, I think that it is not limited to something created by humans or a product of the human creative process. However, I believe it is the result of that creative process and the mental concept of art that allows us to be able to find art all around us--if we see rightly, if we rely less on the definitions and see with the heart and let what we see touch the heart, the soul.

The things around us have all kinds of potential for giving us an experience with art. Things that stimulate the mind or emotions by conveying thoughts or feelings can be found everywhere if we just take time to see it.
Part of seeing rightly--with the heart--means using the eyes as windows that allow us to see out around us with our hearts. I am reminded of the saying that the eyes are windows of the soul, allowing us to look more deeply into someone and know them better. I think that in the same way, the eyes are windows that allow us to look outward with the soul to see clearly, to experience the beauty and wonder all around us.