Chasing Down the Muse: A year for stewardship, and maybe more

The significance of a man is not in what he attains but rather in what he longs to attain. — Kahlil Gibran

It is that time of year again — the beginning — when my thoughts turn not to what resolutions to make, but to which attributes to embrace and which to let go. Sure, it’s two weeks into the year, but I have to admit it takes me a while to wind down from the previous year first. Not quite there yet, but here I come with a few of my thoughts.

These attributes and the longing to embrace them speak to Gibran’s words. They are a stretch and meant to be thus. Things that immediately come to mind as possibilities to embrace include stewardship, mercy, prosperity, joy, compassion, courage, strength, love, trust, adventure, faith…and the list could go on and on.

Stewardship is an ethic that represents the responsible planning and management of resources. This seems like a great thing to embrace, whether lottery winner or not. With all the Powerball talk of late, I was surprised at the lack of expressed interest in using winnings for stewardship. There could be so many possible opportunities for application.

There are ways in which stewardship especially works for me, so time considering this attribute is well spent. The Sawdust Art Enrichment Fund is a philanthropic effort supporting education of the public about the arts. SAEF provides hands-on experiences in the form of art workshops for underserved populations.

Classes in jewelry, ceramics, photography, fused glass and more have been enjoyed by military spouses, at-risk students and others since inception of the fund in 2011. Stewardship of this fund is an honor and pleasure I hold dear. The goals we have set for projects and donations in 2016 are lofty and will call for both energy and devotion.

The environment presents many other opportunities for stewardship. The drought here in California has gone on too long. Recent storms do not go nearly far enough. We all must do more. Walking just two days after the heaviest rains recently, I encountered two homes with their sprinklers going full blast. Why? Could they possibly not realize? Is this where I can best serve?

Protecting our oceans, our wildlife, our air…these are just some of the ways to be stewards for earth. We can be stewards also for economics, property, theology, health, information. There is no end to opportunity for responsible planning and management of these entities.

Reading back over my own words here, I can see that, while stewardship of these entities is something to embrace, it is not quite the stretch that I seek. Stewardship is in place and happening. No real reach is being asked of me. Back to the drawing board. Perhaps by next month I will have something in place.

Mercy. That might be it. Guess it is time to read Pope Francis’ new book on that. Forgiveness is always a tough thing to embrace fully.

Meanwhile, let me plant the seed for you…what attributes might you embrace in the coming year? What might you let go? Just think about it.

And if you would like to contribute to the SAEF mission, or have an underserved population that might benefit from a hands-on art experience, you can contact me by email for more information.

CHERRIL DOTY is an artist, writer, and teacher who embraces the mystery and magic of all that is life. You can reach her at (714) 745-9973 or by email at cherril@cherrildoty.com.