In my book Triple Gratitude with Assorted Monsters, the triplets in the tale learn a lesson in gratitude. The inspiration for the story is autobiographical. Just like the kiddos, every night before I go to sleep, I look back over the day and try to recall the three best things that happened to me. I do this every night. I call this "triple gratitude", a term I coined. I don't know where the idea came from, but it started during a time in my life when there were a lot of things going wrong. Now, whether things are good or not what I'd like, I look for those three things every evening. And, I am grateful.
It's said that good things come in threes. Well, Rah! Rah! Sis-Boom-Bah!I have had quite an amazing week to blog about. (In case you have an inquiring mind, I learned that this phrase originated in 1867. The "sis" was the sound of a fireworks. The "boom" was the sound that everyone heard. Finally, the "bah" reflected the audience's gasp when they saw the lights in the sky. In case you are wondering, they all said, "Ah!") Pretty astounding fireworks exploded in my life, and it all happened over three consecutive days. And, what was the source behind all of this? All the events were directly the result of my mural, number 64, with the Special Needs Adult Christians at my church.
Day One withSisNetworking is so important in this world. If I knew how to do this better, I wouldn't be the most non-famous, world-famous artist on the planet. Fortunately, I know some people who know some of the right people. My pastor showed my mural to a particular woman because he thought that we should meet each other. He believed that I had some skills up my sleeve that she could appreciate. Since I'm always in the mood for dessert coffee, we met up at a favorite cafe.
I was prepared because I love to "Show and Tell" my work. I emailed this person about three topics of possible interest. First, I wanted to explain my community murals. It's such a unique definition that most people don't understand. For me, a community must participate if it is a real community mural. My second topic was my books. And, as it turned out, she loved Triple Gratitude. A woman of taste! Finally, I wanted to share that I have developed a good presentation about my murals, art, books, and life that I can take on the road. That news came complete with an impressive letter of recommendation from a school I visited.
I was ready to set the rockets off when I sat down for my face-to-face and the woman told me she was the Senior Vice President of Operations over 87 charter schools in the State of Ohio! Then, she went on to explain that extensive research shows that when students take pride in their environment, there are reduced problems in the school. What I do is what she wanted, and she loved what I do! My murals can be adjusted to meet whatever theme is of interest to a school. The designs can include classroom subjects, thoughtful quotations, local history, celebrations, literature, school mascots, sports, or anything else about that school. And, they are all drawn in a very child-friendly style that has been approved of and enjoyed around the globe.
It most likely surprised the senior veep, when I told her that I would love to begin in Marion County, Ohio. I graduated from high school in that county, and I would love to tell the students that there is hope. You don't have to spend your entire life near Marion unless you want to. I know there are people who have traveled more than me, but it is just so very rare that I run across them. So, it presents a unique experience for students in the area who are looking to spread their wings.
The final question the superintendent asked was, "Are you willing to travel across the state?" If you know me, you know I said, "Yes, across the state, across the country, and do you have any schools overseas?" Yes,Sis, I had reason to be grateful!
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My favorite crew at my favorite store with my favorite flyer
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Day Two withBoomYes, the gratitude continued with aBoom! As I worked on my latest mural, of course, I needed paint. Some of my paint supplies were quart cans that I purchased before some nasty little virus threw the world into chaos. The paint really wasn't meant to last that long. Sometimes a splash of water would give the paint new life. Sometimes nothing helped. By far, the most enthusiastic supply source for the project on this mural was my local Sherwin-Williams paint store. They loved what I do, were thrilled with the idea of painting with special needs young adults, and promised to paint with me.
Alas, their painting schedules conflicted, but since they were so interested in the project, I returned when the website was completed to show them what they missed. My newly updated website knocked their socks off. And, I always love to knock those socks off. I mildly tortured them to see if they could find the hidden "64" in the design. Three people gave up. Only one man was as stubborn as me. His success was so very sweet.
The more I thought about it, the more I knew that I would like to paint a mural with these people. So, I went back to the store one more time. I've learned it never hurts to ask. I asked, "Would you like to paint a mural with me, and do you think corporate headquarters in Cleveland would want to sponsor a project?"
The answer blew me away. Boom!
I was told, "We don't need corporate approval for this. We'll do it. There is a local process to follow with an application, but we'll tell them what you do and that we want to work with you."
Yes, blown away! But, the surprises didn't end. Of course, anyone working at Sherwin-Williams wanted to know what kind of paint I used for my projects. Since quarts were too large to last, I'd been getting containers that were about the size of a cup. It was expensive for the amount of paint received, but it would be less likely to spoil. That didn't satisfy my new best friends at Sherwin-Williams. One of the bosses told me, "I want you to use my paint." Plain and simple. Their smallest containers were pints. However, he offered me a price that was lower than the cups of paint I purchased elsewhere. Boom! Boom!
And, there was more. I was told my business card was just too small. Did I have anything larger that could be displayed in the store? They wanted to help get the word out. If Sherwin-Williams has anything to do with it, I may have to give up my "Most Non-famous, World-Famous" title. Not only are they going to spread the word in Central Ohio, but when the two head honchos from the store go to the national Sherwin-Williams conference in Orlando, Florida, at the end of the month, they plan to spread the news far and wide.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
On my very first stop at the Sherwin-Williams store for mural 64, I witnessed a customer who acted like he owned the place. I'd never seen anything like it in America. He reminded me of the kind of American tourists that I avoid when I travel. They are just too loud and embarrassing! I whispered to the man behind the counter, "He acts like he owns the place!" My fellow whisperer was way more professional than me. Through gritted teeth he whispered, "I can't say anything about him, but if you look in my eyes, you'll know exactly what I think of him."
I looked. I could see everything.
I told the oh, so, professional person, "I hope you don't have that same look in your eyes when I leave your store." I think it is safe to say that he didn't. He's part of my favorite crew at my favorite store.
Day Three withBah! Let me assure you that this Bah!is not followed by Humbug! I sent out New Year's greetings to the Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Liberia. He happens to hail from the Columbus, Ohio, area. We hoped to meet up over the Christmas holiday, and he even wanted to bring his kiddos to help paint. It just didn't work out because life happens when you travel.
A meet-up in Columbus, Ohio, between the PAO and the Mural ManI missed my trip to Liberia in early 2023, but I still have a few months left on my travel visa. I assured him (as if he needed to be assured) that I would still love to come home if he can find a way. Well, the news was very good. He said that the tentative new ambassador for Liberia is supposed to come in March. The PAO thought it would be really good to celebrate his arrival with a mural project. I whole-heartedly agree.
I especially want to meet this ambassador. He was once a Peace Corps Volunteer in Liberia. Since the country closed down Peace Corps two months after I left service due to a 14-year-long civil war, there is an excellent chance that we might have been in the country at the same time. That would be remarkable. When I served in Liberia, there were over 150 volunteers. It wasn't possible to know everyone. Well, except for the fact that almost everyone knew me. I survived the most traumatic, disaster of a vacation from Hell, er . . . I mean, the Ivory Coast. Between the bus crash and my personal imitation of Superman to save the day, everyone knew my name. Bah! Maybe even the new ambassador?
In my book Triple Gratitude, at the end of the story, the mother tells her children, "You should always look for three reasons to be grateful. However, if you have more than three, well, that's just a wonderful day." As you can see from this blog, I have had three startling opportunities present themselves. Sis-Boom-Bah!Hopefully, some events are going to take place soon that are going to shock me and knock my own socks off. My heart and soul are already filled with gratitude. But, I'm just going to send it out to the Universe right now. If anyone has the ability and desire to give me a few more reasons to be grateful, I'm happy to add numbers four . . . five . . . six . . . seven . . . and a few more items to my nightly list. You can never have too much gratitude.
I was ready to set the rockets off when I sat down for my face-to-face and the woman told me she was the Senior Vice President of Operations over 87 charter schools in the State of Ohio! Then, she went on to explain that extensive research shows that when students take pride in their environment, there are reduced problems in the school. What I do is what she wanted, and she loved what I do! My murals can be adjusted to meet whatever theme is of interest to a school. The designs can include classroom subjects, thoughtful quotations, local history, celebrations, literature, school mascots, sports, or anything else about that school. And, they are all drawn in a very child-friendly style that has been approved of and enjoyed around the globe.
