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“I don’t know. But something exists. I feel it.”
I whisper, “Me too,” leaving the room.
In the morning, after a long, hot shower — so great to be in a city where I don’t have to watch how much water I use — I dry my hair and head down for breakfast wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, ready for moving Sylvia to her new room.
After yoga, over breakfast, we all agree that’s the first thing we’ll do today.
Some phone calls bring over Rachel, Jaxson, Jonny and also Ben. With this many of us the room switch gets a little chaotic, nearly everyone with ideas of how to tackle it best. But because of the sheer number of hands to help, we get it done fast.
When all is done, Laura excitedly says, “What about putting Dax’s painting of Sunflower in your new room?!”
It’s presented to Sylvia. Tears jump to her eyes as she holds it up for Rachel’s appraisal, “Look! It’s incredible!”
Her business partner beams. “Oh, it’d be perfect in your room!”
“No way.” Sylvia smiles, wiping a stray tear. “Everyone has to see this. Let’s put it by the front door.”
“Really? Are you sure?” Rachel tilts her head while staring at the painted wood in admiration. “It was given to you.”
“It’s given to everyone.”
Rachel claps her hands to her chest. “I love it so much!”
Dax isn’t the type to be effusive in their reception of compliments, but I can tell they’re beyond happy the gorgeous depiction is so well received, and will be enjoyed for years to come by so many.
We go downstairs for the hanging of perfection on the entrance wall, and take a moment, all of us together, to drink in the vivid colors, the beautiful painting of the place we’ve all had such a fun and unexpectedly unusual time in.
Sylvia asks Rachel, “Would you say this is our most memorable group?”
She takes in our smiling faces. “Yes. Yes, I would.”
Jonny asks Dax, “How do you paint?”
“I’ve been drawing since I was younger than you. Then I took classes. The ones about textures and palettes were the most interesting to me. If I didn’t know how to paint on wood — which is porous and rough…well, until sanded — then I couldn’t have done this.”
“But you have a gift,” Laura argues. “That’s something classes can’t teach.”
Maggie adds, “That’s what I was going to say! I could never paint something like this.”
Dax opens our minds with, “No, you’d paint your own version of Sunflower. And that’s how it’s meant to be.”
Jonny says, “I can draw a little.”
“Do you like drawing?”
“Can you make a living at it?”
Dax asks again, pointedly, “Do you like it?”
“Yes.”
“Then explore it if you like it.”
Jaxson tells Jonny, “You can make a living at anything you put your mind to it.”
Ben, who’s been quiet for most of today, along for the ride, adds, “Your grandpa’s right. Do you want to learn how to paint?”
“Yeah.”
