Last night I had an Art History essay test, which is usually a grueling ordeal, rife with dates and names and styles reckoned to history and which generally make one's brain hurt. I often wondered (twenty two years ago, when i took it the first time) why the class couldn't be more geared towards an appreciation of art. I think that I got my answer somewhere within last night's test. As I was writing, it dawned on me that I was conversing about ancient near east art, cyclaedian and the greek periods...it was a bit of a shock!
The difference between an appreciation for, and a working knowledge of, is a matter of internalization. Since I have been going back to school, i have learned to appreciate things like math (and if you knew me in high school, you'd know just how huge a reversal THIS is!) and how to overcome initial judgments. That is probably the best thing college has given me.
The other force(s) in my life that are teaching me are my two girls; both very wise and very different. My oldest, Mina, is rightfully known around the house as "mini me", since she is my carbon copy, and the greatest test of my patience! From her, I am learning the meaning of unconditional love and how to deal with my own issues when she unknowingly pushes certain buttons. I would like to say that I am mastering these facets, but truthfully, I am a slow learner.
Ramona, my youngest, is a force to be reckoned with; she is opinionated and a very self assured person at the age of two. From her I am learning respect and the art of listening to my own heart and not settling for what others expect of me. These both sound so basic, but as my wife points out, these are things some people never learn.
In a roundabout way, this is the crux of this blog; it is one thing to appreciate children- either yours or someone else's. It is another to really take in all those little life's lessons that they bring you. You can enjoy things or you can really get something out of it.
