I was thinking about Tom Hiddleston's post from today, and was inspired to look on my bookshelf for some of Thich Nhat Hanh's teachings on compassion. I picked up his amazing book, Peace is Every Step, which I hadn't read in a while. I leafed through the table of contents and was immediately drawn to the short chapter, "Our Life is a Work of Art." Check this out:
"...an artist asked me, 'What is the way to look at a flower so that I can make the most of it for my art?' I said, if you look in that way, you cannot be in touch with the flower. Abandon all your projects so you can be with the flower with no intention of exploiting it or getting something from it... When we do not trouble ourselves about whether or not something is a work of art, if we just act in each moment with composure and mindfulness, each minute of our life is a work of art. Even when we are not painting or writing, we are still creating. We are pregnant with beauty, joy, and peace, and we are making life more beautiful for many people. Sometimes it is better not to talk about art by using the word 'art.' If we just act with awareness and integrity, our art will flower and we don't have to talk about it at all."*
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