Delight

Title: Delight
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Size: 9 x 12 inches
Artist: betsisanders

Delight ... something that gives great joy or pleasure.

To a child, that ice cream cone will give him great joy and pleasure. On a hot summer day, that same ice cream is a welcome treat to both young and old.To a diabetic, this delightful, pleasurable, rich, sweet and creamy frozen food is 'poison'.

Life is all about choices.

The woman in the painting is making a choice, to indulge and savor the delicious, delicate and pleasing sweet taste of the ice cream ... or chew on a carrot. She may not be a diabetic, but is probably conscious of her weight and wishes to maintain a slim figure... or she simply chooses to eat healthy.

Every single day, hour, minute or second... we all make choices. In the morning, we choose which bath soap or body wash to use, which toothpaste to brush our teeth with, which perfume or cologne to put on, which pair of jeans or shirt to wear, which color-coordinated designer bag and shoes to use... and these choices are made on the first hour of one's day.

Then one goes for breakfast and chooses to have a ham sandwich. I remember my friend, who had this 'funny' unforgettable experience, the first time she ordered a ham sandwich in the States. The waitress asked her what kind of ham she wanted, smoked ham, honey cured ham, American ham.... then, she was asked what kind of bread she wanted, wheat, whole wheat, rye, ... then, she was asked if she wanted everything on it... tomatoes, lettuce, mayo.... :) my friend had always been used to having sweet ham on white bread with nothing in it while in the Philippines. She was further asked if she wanted eggs for breakfast, so she said yes. You probably know what happened next... boiled, scrambled, sunny side, poached... ha ha ha. This actually happened to my friend. Many versions of this story has been passed on through email... maybe because it happened to a lot Pinoys.

Choices... everything in life is about choices. What we are today is the result of the choices we made years ago. Our career choice, for example, would determine success or failure in our chosen field. I chose Dentistry because my mother wanted me to become a doctor. She specifically instilled in my mind that I cannot be called just a Ms. or a Mrs., but a Dr. ... and Dentistry was the fastest way to become a doctor, six years compared to eight years in Medicine. My mother actually asked me if wanted to go to Med Proper after I graduated from Dentistry! :( I always wanted to take Fine Arts but my mother used to say that artists do not earn much.
I'm a golden girl now, a semi-retired dentist, and an aspiring visual artist. It is never too late to make the right choice.

Choose to give rather than always be at the receiving end. Choose to show gratitude and express it through acts of kindness. Choose to be truthful and not fabricate lies or make up stories. Choose to be humble and kind. Choose silence than boisterousness and not attract attention specially in public. Choose to act one's age and not act as if one is still in kindergarten, running around or pushing classmates. Choose to be generous with praise and never say bad things about one's in laws, no matter how badly they treat you. Choose to say 'thank you' to your dentist who gives you free ortho treatment, rather than terminate her free services. Choose to say I'm sorry, and mean it, rather than say I'm not ready.

Choose to walk away from those who hurt you. Choose to shut the door, and be with your thoughts, rather than, tell people how much you hurt. Choose to cry in the confines of your bedroom, rather than burden your friends with your insecurities, sadness, anger or hatred. Choose life and love. Choose happiness. Choose to be a 'delight' to others, to be a source of joy and pleasure for others... all the time.


betsisanders 09 / August 12, 2009