Saturday, June 21, 2008

Bob Ross is my new hero

I don't have any one hero. There is no singularity in my hero roster. A quick list of heroes off the top of my head includes Bruce Lee, my Dad, my friend Sir Alexander, and now-- Bob Freakin' Ross.

How does someone get so laid back and so cool? He's obviously an artistic genius, creating awesome paintings, but he's also... calming and soothing. Happy trees, happy clouds, happy mountains... They all seem so ridiculous, but he's says it so insignificantly, as if we all refer to bushes and water as "happy".

Anyway, I want to paint now.

Here's another excerpt from the book:

The door is open slightly, and I knock lightly before entering. On the right is a wooden door labeled “Sauna.“ To my left is the shower, a large communal type with high, broad shower heads. It is practically a large, stainless steel rain factory, and in the middle stands the Captain lathering her hair.

"Captain?" I ask.

She doesn't hear me at first, so I speak up, and with a calm turn, she faces me.

"What is it?"

"I was just wondering where the fruit was."

"It should be in the fruit holder in the fridge. Did you look there?"

"I thought I did, but I must have missed it. I'll look again."

I turn to go, but I catch a glimpse of a pink scar on her side. I opt not to say anything right now.

Rechecking the fridge yields nothing. It is empty of everything but milk and deer meat. I want to give the Captain her privacy, but something drives me to see her again. I reconsider and find myself heading down the hall once again.

This time, the Captain is facing the entryway as I enter.

"Not there?" She asks.

"No, there is only milk and deer meat in the fridge."

"That's odd. It was there last I checked. I'll find something for you in a minute." She rinses her hair and applies conditioner. Then notices that I haven't left. "Was there anything else?"

"I just noticed your scar there earlier and wondered what it was from."

"It's not the only one, but most of them are smaller. If you come closer you can see." She waves me over so I make my way there, avoiding the water, but little splashes catch me fairly often. When I get within a few feet, I notice, like she said, many more scars. My eyes open wide.

"Don't look so surprised. Everyone has scars."

"I know. I have my share, but you are covered. I didn't notice earlier on deck..."

"They only seem to show up when I'm in the water. Water healed them, and water reminds me…"

"Why is that do you think?"

"Like I said before, my storytelling is incredibly boring. Let's just say that scars sometimes contain ill feelings within them."

I'm not sure I understand, but I nod and turn to leave after taking one last look. The scars are all thick, knotted, and pink. It is strange that I didn't see them beforehand. I’ve never heard of scars that only show up in the water…

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