Photo: L. Weikel
Lazy Bones
Yep; I’ll admit it. I was a total lazy bones today. I could’ve mowed the lawn. I could’ve walked four miles. I could’ve compromised and walked two!
But no. I stayed inside. I took one look at the wind chill of 35 degrees and through chattering teeth said, “Bag it.” The snow flurries applauded my decision.
Why does 35 degree weather and flurries feel like entirely unreasonable circumstances to force myself to brave during the second week in May, when taking a walk in that very same weather in January is practically considered a balmy opportunity? I haven’t put away my winter garb. I could layer up as easily today as I could five months ago.
Nevertheless, I Balked
I’ll admit it: I balked at the very thought of bulking up and venturing out. And for the life of me, that attitude doesn’t make sense to me. Yet I brandished that same attitude when I (fleetingly) considered mowing the lawn, too. It needs it. But the thought of my feet getting soggy as I mowed amidst flurries was entirely, unequivocally unappealing.
Art House Alternative
Even though I know, deep down, I would’ve warmed up easily once I started walking, I allowed myself the indulgence of staying inside. I even took it one step further. (It’s Mother’s Day weekend – heck – I might as well milk this for all it’s worth!)
One adaptation caused by the Covid quarantining is that the smaller cinemas around us, such as The County Theater and Acme Screening Room are making their films available via Kino Marquee. Check it out! And since we have Roku, it turned out that we didn’t have to watch on our computer – we could watch it on our television. It was a great experience that I know we’ll repeat often.
So Karl and I actually curled up on the couch and watched Beyond the Visible, a documentary about the Swedish mediumistic abstract painter, Hilma af Klint.
Birth of Abstract Painting
What a visually beautiful film – and a fascinating, if maddening, story. Her work undoubtedly would have been received and treated dramatically differently by the outside world had she been a man. The pervasive reality of how women have been relegated to ‘less than’ in so many areas of life, based solely on their anatomy, is tiresome and old.
There are a lot of layers to the story of Hilma af Klint and I sense the film only touches on everything tantalizingly briefly. Somehow, it feels like the Spiritualism of the turn of the 20th century is somehow coming round again to inform our evolution now.
I feel there’s more to explore here on a larger scale. But in the meantime, if you have a chance, check out this film.
(T-566)