Every day as I go out into the world during these crazy times, I pass by my neighbor's house. Their kids, doing what kids do, have put a simple, classic message on the sidewalk in chalk. It says "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Is it really that simple?
I don't know but it certainly isn't always that easy. Especially right now. I think it's safe to say that we all have a lot of worries right now. Can we really turn them all off and be happy just because some kids told us to with chalk? I don't know if I could do that even if Bobby McFerrin himself showed up and told me to.
But I will say this, every time I walk by that house I smile. I have a moment of peace. I feel connected to the world and I have a moment of escape as I sing a line or two from that classic song from my youth.
The chalk is working.
One day the rains came and washed the sidewalk message away. It created a blank slate on the sidewalk again. All that hard work those kids had done was gone. The beautiful colors were gone and the sidewalk was back to it's normal, grey self. It kind of felt like the hope was gone too.
But none of that seemed to phase these kids one bit. The very next day they had redone the whole thing. They recreated the sidewalk almost exactly as it was before the rain. The message of hope was back. Brighter and louder than before.
How many of us would do that? When all our hard work is washed away, it is so easy to give up and say "What's the point?" We take moments like this so deeply personal. We let it rob us of our joy and our hope.
But the truth is it was just a little rain. Rain always comes. If you are going to write a message in chalk on the sidewalk, you better be ready to do it again because the rain is coming. The rain will wash it away eventually. But if that message is important to you, you can go out and write it down again. As many times as needed.
As long as you still have the chalk, you still have the power to make a difference. No matter how many times it rains, the sun keeps coming out. When the sun comes out that means it's time for us to grab our chalk and go back to work.
The world needs us.
Art Still Has Truth. Take Refuge There.
It's so weird how every day something new gets taken away from us. I find myself missing all the things I used to do to bring peace into my life. I can't go to the Art Museum anymore. I can't go to the Zoo. It's weird how much those little things meant to me and I didn't even realize it.
The one thing I can still do is go outside. I have been taking long walks in Forest Park, the big park by my house. It's amazing to me how I live in a big city but I can walk for a few blocks and suddenly I'm in nature. The air smells different. I can listen to the birds sing. I can look at the trees and the big sky above. The world is still here.
Life is going on. And that gives me a lot of peace.
One of my favorite spots in St. Louis is Art Hill which is in Forest Park. It's where the Art Museum stands. Lately, I have been walking around to the back of the museum and staring at it. I realized that although it is true that I can't go inside and look at the Monet's and Renoir's, I can still look at the building from the outside. The building itself is an amazing piece of art. I always forget to enjoy that part because I am in such a rush to get inside.
But now I am being forced to enjoy the things on the outside of buildings. And there is a lot to enjoy. I don't have to go inside the art museum to see art. I don't have to go inside the zoo to see animals. It's all still here, it just looks a little different than it used to.
The back of the art museum is kind of hidden. You have to really go out of your way to see it. But it's really beautiful and it has this quote inscribed on the top of the building that has really been encouraging me lately. It says "Art still has truth. Take refuge there."
I just wanted to share this with you and remind you that life is going on. And as everything around us closes, the outdoors are still open. Nature is still there. The birds are still singing.
And art is still all around us. It still has truth so take refuge there.
We are going to be ok.