Afraid of the Dark

“Who is more foolish, the child afraid of the dark or the man afraid of the light?”
~Maurice Freehill

From childhood I have been terrified of the dark. It seems that the fear followed me into the world of painting.

I know that white is never white. It is always reflecting color from something, somewhere. But, just like I know there are no boogie men in the dark, it doesn't keep me from being overly cautious and a little too fearful. So, when it came to making white petals pop off the canvas, it took me a while to really go for it and add the dark. It seemed so wrong to put grey on my pretty white flowers!

Eventually I gave in and took the step into the dark. I scrubbed away with my shadow colors, grumbling and trembling all the way. And then I stood back. What else can I say. It works.

I couldn't help thinking that the light in our lives, whether it be truth, knowledge, religion, love or something else, can only be felt in relation to the dark.

Sometimes children grow up without light, and when the eventually finds them, they are stunned by it. Other children grow up with so much light, that it doesn't seem light at all. Sometimes these children have to stray into the dark in order to recognize that what they had was light.

So, here's to overcoming not only our fears of the dark, but darkness itself, and finding the light.

"Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed."
~Corita Kent