frAGILE

Art and Physical Activity are sometimes seen as opposites. The recreation and leisure field see the two as complimentary like yin and yang, black and white, resilience and fragility. This attraction of opposites has me thinking about my experiences with physical activity and the arts. I guess you could call me a jock, even though I really don't like the term, I was on sports teams in school and pick up physical endeavors quite easily. My body 'gets' how to move, it's agile. My artistic self, on the other hand, is something that I have to work at. In school the arts were not on my radar and the skills necessary continue to be tentative at best.

I admire artisans. I long to be a natural artist, be it in the performing arts as an actor or in the visual arts as a sculptor. I dabble in sculpting and focus on the human form, body parts. I had a short stint painting toilet seats, 'custom painted seats to suit your seat' until it was pointed out that I couldn't make a feasible business out of painting toilet seats, which was not really my goal, but I eventually, defiantly and with head hung low, resigned myself to that fact.

This leads to the 'fragile' notion. I'm self-conscious when it comes to my creations. I rarely share the products I create - no sculptures to friends for Christmas, birthdays or as housewarming gifts (a good decision on my part, nothing worse than getting a 'masterpiece' from a friend and having to display it). Kind of like the Friends episode when Feabs gives Monica the scary lady picture who's jumping out of the frame.

My question is how do we honour the fragile nature of individuals, relationships, groups and communities when we naturally protect our Achilles heels? Perhaps when something fragile is staring at you in the face listen closely, act boldly, connect to your own Achilles heel. By listening and presenting it to others rather than shoving it away you can discover deeper connections and freedom from restrictions. Share your fragile nature to increase inner agility. Your thoughts?

Next time some fun, visit me at www.4excellence.ca