You Don’t Know What Someone Else Thinks Unless They Tell You

Painting of two people sitting at the edge of a pool

I’m convinced that a significant amount of the stress in my life comes from assuming I know what other people are thinking.  Case in point: after being away on vacation, my yard was a mess this week.  The grass was overgrown and there were weeds everywhere.  It finally got mowed Saturday afternoon, but every time I saw it this week, I felt anxious and guilty.  I feel this way every time the yard becomes overgrown, and it has nothing to do with the grass.  If I lived on some remote parcel of land far from any other houses, I wouldn’t give it a second thought.  I care because I don’t want my neighbors to think poorly of me.  I assume that they are judging me every time they drive by my house or look out their windows.

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Quote of the Week

“I don’t think that fear is the problem.  I think the problem is that we often don’t know what to do with our fear.  We don’t know how to acknowledge it for what it is — which is a feeling which might be giving us some information about the world, but it’s also giving us information about ourselves.”

–Kim Brooks, in an interview with NPR

Black-and-white monotype of studio interior

Discovering New Rooms Within Ourselves

Black and white monotype of a model seated in an art studio.
Studio Model, Monotype, 2004.

A few nights ago, I dreamt that I found more space in my house.  I knew these two unfinished attic-type rooms were there, but I had forgotten about them.  I wanted to do some renovations, make additional space, and suddenly I stumbled upon these existing areas of my home that had been unused.

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