Over the Peanut Fence
Acrylic/ Gold Frame/ 21” by 25’’ / $299
Look closely at the isolated house and small struggling garden trying to survive on barren land. It is set apart by an almost insurmountable fence. On the other side you see water, growth, lush green plants and colorful flowers. Imagine yourself in the house but wanting to move. How will you get over or around the fence? Are you frighted of what you might find? There may be insects or snakes that you did not know were there. What will you bring with you? How will your present strengths become your platform for a better future?
A Sense of Purpose
We all need a sense of purpose, an overarching mission that unites the different journeys we take throughout our lives. Mine has always been centered on education. Though my career started with raising five kids and evolved to include mental health counseling, running museums, owning a catalog company and authoring books, my underling purpose has always been to inspire a love of learning. Promoting problem solving skills (the job of parent, counselor and teacher ) and independence has always been my quest. Tools I use involve a plethora of sensory-intelligence teaching approaches to fit each individual’s learning style. I implemented this education mission by developing hands-on exhibits and classroom programs, educational toys. I promote philosophical underpinnings through my writing and thought provoking paintings. Reading voraciously and traveling broadly are journeys I take for inspiration.
Having a mission that held steady for most of my life has made transition periods easier. As I moved from childhood, to adulthood, from parenting to empty nesting, and from job to retirement there were many rocky roads to be carefully navigated. I experienced physical energy increase during my 30s, 40s and 50s only to be cut down by illness in my 60s. But then, happily my strength reemerged and I was tasked with continuing my mission.
I also experienced loving relationships that had been carefully nurtured over years become lost because of moves or employment changes. These transition times initiated a period of confusion and impetus to build new friendships. Comfortingly, as my path changed, my goal to improve education remained singular. This consistency provided a smooth passage to my next challenge.
Each of life’s plateaus required rethinking before evolving in a such a way as to take advantage of the knowledge and wisdom I had acquired to date. In retirement I became interested in understanding the crisis facing homeless youth, and you might wonder what it has to do with hands-on education? The more I study the causes, life styles, brain development, and interventions used with this population, the more I realize that individualized education within a loving context is the the way to heal hearts and minds.
What is your sense of purpose? Most people do have one but they may not have stopped to identify it. It is an interesting exercise to look at all of the phases of your life in search for the common denominator or life thread that guides your actions.
Art work is always for sale. Contact me at marilynne@eichingerfineart.com
Please respond on my blog site at eichingerfineart.com/blog.
For sale as an ebook on Amazon: The True Story of Streetwise, overcoming homelessness and beating the odds. $2.99 Go to AMAZON.
