I’ll get to Part 2 of ‘My Dinner with Ego’ momentarily, but first I’d like to share a fun factoid that blew my mind. Not only is an Avocado a fruit, it’s considered a single-seeded berry. Adding to the list of surprising fruits you didn’t know were berries are: Pumpkin, Watermelon and Bananas. And if that doesn’t threaten your childhood notions enough, how about this little surprise: Strawberries are not berries at all. How’s that for a reality check? And all this discovered while researching titles for my latest drawing. :P
About this week’s drawing... This is the first of many participatory pieces you’ll be seeing from me. While gearing up for my summer classes, I had a realization. I remembered one of my favorite aspects of taking art classes was the benefit of stopping for a moment to watch my teacher paint or draw the same subject. So I’ve revamped my lesson structure to not only include a brief demonstration up front, but now I also draw/paint alongside my students, so they can see how I solve the same challenge. I’ve only done this in two classes so far, and the results have been impressive. Now for Part 2 of a playful little dialog I imagined having with my ego a few years ago; a story I wrote after I concluded the ego wasn’t something to be feared or hated, but that it was definitely better suited to the role of co-pilot rather than the leading role I’d allowed it for so many years. My Dinner with Ego Part 2: The Spring Roll of Our Discontent I studied Persona's face carefully. His head was tilted slightly downward, brow furrowed. His eyes were sharp and piercing. There was a palpable, defensive energy about him. "I don't know who you think you are, Satori, but I've been running this show for a long time now, and I think I deserve more respect than this. The only reason you are where you are today is because I've invested so much energy into educating you." "I would agree with that, Persona. Your strong desire to be cultured and knowledgeable has made me who I am. It has awakened me. I'm not sure I would be here today if not for you." He paused for a moment, visibly surprised. I wasn't fighting him, as I had in the past. I could see his frustration growing in the face of my passive agreement. "Wait!" He blurted. "Now? After two frustrating years, two years of you acting like I was the enemy, you're telling me you agree with me?" His tone turned cynical. "I hope you don't expect me to buy that, after everything you've said; after the distance you tried to create." "Persona, I owe you an apology... and an explanation." "Yes you do. And after all this time, I'm not sure I want to hear it. I..." Our waiter had arrived to take our order. Persona was a little less than cordial about the interruption. "I'll have the special." he uttered, hastily handing back the unopened menu. I suspect he didn't know what he had ordered... and didn't care. I turned my full attention to the waiter. "I'd like to try the Gang Pa Curry." I said, intrigued by the baby Thai eggplants in the picture. They looked like little alien pods. "And lets start with the Po Pia Sad, the fresh spring rolls, for an appetizer." I smiled at the waiter as I handed back the menu. I encouraged Persona to continue. He made an effort to calm himself after he realized his irritation had cost him the opportunity of performing one of his favorite roles, that of 'the professional interacting with the hired help'. "As I was saying." He spoke more quietly; but with greater authority. "You've made things very unpleasant for me over the past two years.” “Since before you were wise enough to know better, I've carried the burden of managing our priorities. I've struggled to improve our standing in the community, to improve our image in the eyes of others." "You, on the other hand, spend your days communing with trees, watching cloud formations; you waste away the hours being 'aware'." He did the little two-finger quotation gesture for mock emphasis. "I hoped you would take a break from your dream world, and try living in reality once in a while." "But I guess I should give up on that happening. It's quite apparent you're happy in your new little world, lacking the skills to function among us mere mortals, hoping bliss will pay the bills." At that moment the spring rolls were placed on our table by our waiter, who was making an effort not to disturb us. I was hopeful the appetizer would give Persona a chance to take a breath. He was turning ever so slightly red. I offered him one, and immediately knew I'd offended him by shifting my focus so quickly from what he was saying. "I assure you, I'm giving you my full attention. It's part of my 'awareness' practice." I smiled at him. "I just thought you'd like to try a spring roll. It's a very fresh variation of its fried cousin. Dip it in the tamarind sauce, it has a very pleasant fruitiness." I respect a sauce that can start sour, turn sweet, then finish salty. And the thin jalapeño slices garnishing the rolls add a nice kick. He declined with a wave of his hand. Obviously he had a lot more on his mind. I urged him to continue. "I don't think you appreciate how hard I work to improve our lives." "Over the past few months alone, I've spent a lot of my free time schmoozing with people I don't even like, just to open a few doors with some important names in the business.” "I've spent years amassing knowledge to impress others. I've travelled the world on business. I have a very sophisticated palette for fine dining. I'm intimately involved in the creative community. I impress people with my technically savvy. I can adapt to many roles to suit my audiences..." he paused for dramatic effect, "and this has somehow become unimportant to you." "Frankly," he concluded, "I wonder if you even remember how to fit in; to play your role. Is it so important for you to live in your perfect dream world, you just don't care how loopy you appear to the rest of us any more?" His tone softened a bit. "Sorry if I sound harsh, but I'm frustrated... and a little worried about our future." "Persona, your honesty and bluntness are appreciated." I said, smiling; taking a moment to consider my next words. "This is why we're both here right now; to try and find neutral ground again. I've come to realize coexistence is the key to our success, but we have a bit of damage control to attend to first." I wanted to keep the situation candid; to make the moment mutually beneficial. As if on queue, our dinner arrived. Our waiter nimbly set clean, white plates before us; entrees to the side. A large, ornate bowl of steaming Jasmine rice was placed in the center of the table for us to share. Enticing smells emanated from our entrees. I stopped to admire the presentation of my food. A mound of thinly sliced chicken, baby corn, bamboo shoots, and quartered baby eggplants rose above a swirling blend of curry paste in a clear, red broth. Lime and basil leaves floated loosely around in the mix. It looked somewhat like a prehistoric mountain emerging from a primal sea. An unmistakable hint of tart lemon-lime was present above the scent of curry and basil. "Lets take a moment to enjoy the food, while we collect our thoughts," I suggested. He looked down at his plate, relieved to discover the special was simply a beef and rice noodle soup. He took a deep breath, and sighed. "Yes. Lets eat." He paused for a moment. "Apparently, tension gives me an appetite." He chuckled. Having spoken his mind, he was relaxing noticeably for the first time this evening. to be continued...
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AuthorHello everyone. I'm Justin Mackay. I'm a creative soul, an explorer of life's mysteries, and a big fan of all the beauty in the world. If you're just here for the paintings, then head on over to my Art tab. If you wish to delve deeper into the odd thoughts of a pondering mind, then this is the place for you. Archives
February 2018
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