After what seemed like months, actually, it was months, Susan and I decided to venture out of confinement to visit the Kimbell Art Museum to see and exhibit featuring Italian masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, Italy. Ironically, we’d visited the same museum to see another exhibit just before the stay at home order, what I refer to as B.C., Before Covid.
We have, for the most part still stayed home as much as possible. Unlike my friends in the U.K. and the E.U., we American’s took it upon ourselves to act like petulant children in a world ravished by CV-19. And, while my friends in Europe are enjoying some relaxation, where I live in Dallas County, Texas, well, we’re finally starting to lower the infection rate. Many parts of Texas are not.
With this in mind and combined with a raging case of Cabin Fever, we decided to take our chances, it was that or self-commit for evaluation.
The Kimball is a beautiful setting and the exhibit of about 50 pieces was well done as usual and, sadly/fortunately, depending upon your perspective, was lightly attended on this Saturday morning. Great if you were there to see the exhibit, bad for the Kimball who must try to make some money off the exhibit.
Afterwards, feeling a bit bold, we decided to have lunch at the Trinity Grove, they have a lot of outdoor seating in the shade, especially important in August. Once again, we were able to find a table, plenty of space and we did enjoy our 2nd meal out since March 7th, almost exactly 5 months.
What my trip back to the Kimball really did was remind me of how much things have changed in those 5 months. Obviously, CV-19, and all that it has wrought worldwide.
When I visited back in February, my father had not been diagnosed and now, he’s died almost 2 months ago now.
Vacations have been cancelled including a visit by my friend Katja, she’s busy and has lots of places she wants to visit so I don’t know if Texas will be back on her list.
Our trip to France, first planned for May and then rescheduled for September and now, off the calendar completely. Don’t know if we’ll look at that next year or possibly visit Dawn and Nallie in South Africa (a ‘S’ country by the way).
Who knows what the rest of the year will look like? I expect with the election in November fast approaching, it will be an ugly political season.
What my return to the Kimball also offered me was a revisit to my friend, the Seated Arhat. I’d seen it in February and for some reason, it’s just stayed with me. What I realized though was that I did not need to see the Arhat, what it had offered me is still with me. An Arhat is a guide, and I have my guide, it’s an integral part of me now, maybe I had it all the time and I just had to realize it. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.
This terrible year I’ve found is just 1 year and, there must be some good in it somewhere. Either way, I can’t change it. So, it’s become another lesson in equanimity. Something else to let go of, stop resisting and to just let it flow by and through me. I must believe that tomorrow will be better than today because if I did not, I would lose all hope. So, I do believe that the future will be better.
Finally, we need 2020 v.2 because the current version has a virus.