Photo Gnobility

The end of every year (as well as the beginning of each new year) finds me in a more contemplative frame of mind. 2010 is no different. I have, recently, been reading essays from The Best Buddhist Writing of 2009. The first essay, Jack Kornfield’s “The Wise Heart” discusses how Buddhist psychological thought can counteract western psychology’s seemingly Pavlovian focus on the dark side of human nature. Man, reading this essay was timed to perfection. It would be easy for me (heck, any of us who have lived through 2010) to focus on all that went wrong and the bumps - major and otherwise - in the last year.

Kornfield, however, also briefly discusses the concept of nobility. No, not any royal family or blue blood lineage, but the concept from the Greek derivation –gno- meaning “wisdom” or “inner illumination.” If one has the willingness to practice the ability to tap into one’s inner light and wisdom, then true freedom is possible, no matter the external forces that will inevitably swirl.

For me, that practice has taken a creative form. There is no doubt that my 2010 was marked by a shift toward my own creativity. It’s been there all along. I hope for more of the same in 2011.

So I leave you with a series of pictoral collages from my 2010. Some photos may be familiar to those that regularly read the blog; I expect many will be new. All are a reflection of my gnobility. May each inspire you in the coming new year.

These photos are in no particular order, and they range from the beginning of the year through just a few days ago.

Of course, glaringly absent are my final shawl this year, as well as my most recent painting (but I'll certainly post that in the new year).

Finally, while this blog is certainly not focused solely on my pet, my year would be incomplete if I did not mention George Bailey. He is my furry, sleepy co-pilot. He always presents me with his truth. In a world full of  manipulative and/or surface interactions, he is definitely my breath of fresh air.

Happy 2011!