Beauty in everything

Gonna let it come to me from here on out. 

Those that go looking for happiness make manifest their own unhappiness it is only the happy that find happiness and never have to search for it.

Kinda stolen from Nathaniel Hawthorne but re-written in my own words.

The thin line between happiness and unhappiness

I woke up this morning with the dog licking my hand. My favorite way to wake up by the way. Having him in my life has brought me immeasurable happiness. The dog walks into the bathroom as usual and lays down while I get dressed. I love it when he does that. I love it when he follows me around. This morning instead of singing to him I just sat down on the floor and petted him for a good 5 minutes. Touching his ears, belly, taking some beggars lice out of his fur and putting it in the sink. Checking his paws. I love this dog so much. Time to go.

So basically my morning was filled with happiness, so why am I so unhappy. I was just happy yesterday, the prospect of new hope, family, friends. I have so much to be happy for. But that line, from sheer contentment to unhappiness is so close. Always. You see, it only takes one thing to remind me that life isn't perfect. That thing is usually my love. Obsessing over a problem or concern, has no place in this brain. It robs me of my happiness and my relationship with God. It is impossible to be miserable when I'm in gratitude right? Replace my misery with gratitude. Ok, go. I'm grateful for my job, my talent, my co-workers, my mama, my friends, money in my pocket, ideas in my brain, the show that I have coming up, my animals, being able to be of service to others.
Ok, am I less unhappy. Well, a little bit.

Remember what you tell other people Dayna. "Nothing is permanent  this too shall pass, everything will work out just has God intended, it always always does." Nothing in this life of mine has ever not worked out for the best, I just have to make sure my ego and self steps out of the way. Don't let your fear control you. It will all be ok. It will ALWAYS be ok, and when its not? I know how to be ok when things aren't ok.
I'm listening to Eckart Tolle right now, I can't think of the past, I can only think of the now. I'm ok right now aren't I? Focus on the now.

And when all else fails, all those saying that remind me of the person I'm capable of being, pray my head off. Maybe I should do that first. Ok, ttyl gotta pray.
d

Artwork by Sky Patterson

The Saint Francis Prayer

Lord, make me a channel for thy peace—that where there is hatred, I may bring love—that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness—that where there is discord, I may bring harmony—that where there is error, I may bring truth—that where there is doubt, I may bring faith—that where there is despair, I may bring hope—that where there are shadows, I may bring light—that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted—to understand, than to be understood—to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen.

My most recent artwork PHOTOGRAPY

For 14 years I've been incorporating my photography into my painting. Image transfers, or rendering, or actually placing images on paper within the work as collage.  The first set is my light painting photography and the 2nd is my work for Wildlife Rescue and Rehab.
ttyl
dayna


Nina Hassle modeling at the Hot Springs in San Antonio, Texas. Summer 2012
http://www.flickr.com/photos/daynadehoyo/sets/72157631304542480/

Injured cottontail being rehabilitated at Wildlife Rescue and Rehab in Kendalia. Summer 2012

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daynadehoyo/sets/72157625800783951/

From the big city to a ranch

So, I'm back on track. I'm doing good. I moved from the hustle and bustle of San Antonio to The Texas Hillcountry, I'm getting married to the love of my life in the spring and found a job that I just couldn't pass up.  I was forced to close my gallery in San Antonio, the management wanted to make stuff in my building more commercial, they only had room for 2 out of 3 of us in the new spaces that they were creating so I gracefully exited. Perfect timing actually, closing the gallery/studio and getting engaged needing to move out here anyway. I visited the hillcountry almost every weekend for the past 2 years, plus on and off for the past 8, but I have to say living out here is an is an entirely different animal.

So lets get on to the other differences. The better ones. Well, the temperature is generally 10 degrees cooler at the ranch than San Antonio at any given time, I love the nature and waking up WITHOUT the sound of sirens, loud low riders with the base shaking the house, the men whistling at me when I'm working in my yard or walking to the store. I don't miss any of those things and am so grateful for the peacefulness of the country. I'm working on getting the garden and yard maintained. I planted 100lbs of winter rye grass, tossed it out 3 weeks ago and its beautiful. Bright neon green naturally. I'm in the process of pulling weeds and cutting down  terrible palo blanco trees within our yard enclosure around the house. They are the most horrible tree in existence,  ugly, and with a short life span, diseased, they grow for 10 years and then just fall over. Who needs them?!!! So I've cut down about 50 in the past month or so. I put them outside the gate in the pasture for the deer to eat, they love the leaves so they don't go to waste entirely. I'm trimming all the trees, planting bulbs for the spring wedding, and hanging every deer skull and antler I can find on the fence.



dayna