Jalais Hill, Pontoise
7:00 AM |
| Camille Pissarro, Jalais Hill, Pontoise, 1868 |
This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for relaxation. I haven’t always liked peace. When I was a little kid scurrying around with my friends, I was a force for chaos. I could not understand how the adults around me seemed to strive for order. Even less than a year ago, I took little time for myself. I constantly threw myself at my work. When I didn’t have any work to do, I found new activities, so I could create new problems. In some ways, this attitude has worked nicely for me. Working on school and the like brings with it some rewards, and I also have an intrinsic desire to do well. However, I recently came to realize that I am, perhaps, missing the forest for the trees.
I am a little scared of this because I have so much that I must do to keep my head above water, with school, sports, and everything else. I still think I am making a good choice in backing off at least in some measure. I think that I need to lighten up and relax. Maybe I should give myself more time to do things I want to do instead of allowing schoolwork to voraciously consume my life. Obviously, I am unsure of what I will do—I’m just beginning. All I know is that I will make some sort of change. I am happy I made this decision. I think my days will be a lot more fun because of it.
I think that Pissarro’s ‘Jalais Hill’ embodies this choice. I have always loved Pissarro because he makes cities and nature alike seem picturesque. In this work, a couple walks on a path admiring a view of the surrounding hills cloaked in many different shades of green as puffy clouds float lazily across a summer sky. The small town in the valley bathes in the perfection of the day. I can imagine sitting almost forever in this world, absorbing its beauty.
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