I love how an artist or poet can shift my perspective on the world with even the simplest of strokes.

An artist friend of mine, Laurie McGugan, was out hiking when she came across a gravel pit, well

hidden from the pretty countryside by berms and trees. Gravel pits are not pretty places, but Laurie suddenly saw it as a big sandbox, with big boys playing in it with their heavy machinery. She snapped some pictures and continued on her way.

At home, Laurie printed the pictures out on a large color ink-jet printer. She then painted sandbox toys onto the gravel-scape. My favorite of the series features a big, red bucket, yellow shovel and the members of the Village People.

Life in the New England midwinter during a pandemic is not always pretty. But I’m setting out today to ‘reframe’ one thing in my day, just like Laurie did after her hike.

Where can I place the red pail and the yellow shovel in my landscape?

Or maybe I’ll just sing “YMCA”:

Young man, there’s no need to feel down
I said, young man, pick yourself off the ground
I said, young man, ’cause you’re in a new town
There’s no need to be unhappy….

John Terauds, CPE Intern