Art of Appreciating the Details

Detail of a piece of art in the Milwaukee Art Museum's Outsider and Folk Art Collection

We spent Saturday afternoon as a family at the Milwaukee Art Museum. I'm so glad to be a member. Each time I visit, I'm appreciate more and more what a wonderful museum this is — great exhibitions, interesting collection and a visitor-oriented experience that makes the art easy to enjoy.

This time part of the joy was sharing the experience with our daughter, Grace, who is seven. There is a family-focus on the weekends, and on Saturday, Grace had her pick of various art immersion packs, costumes or a find-the-hands-i-the-painting scavenger hunt. (She chose the scavenger hunt and found all of them.)

What I loved most was her walking into a room a proclaiming picture X or picture Y her favorite. Often for reasons she could not explain. (Me neither, most times.)

Michael pointing out the details to Grace

But what I will remember most from this visit is my surprise at looking at her as she took notes in her scavenger hunt notebook in front of a window overlooking Lake Michigan. There were many beautiful details: The gray of the sky. The patchwork quilting on the lake's icy cover. Her profile framed against the large window. 

What took my breath away, though, was noticing how lanky and how, well, big she has gotten recently. Growing up so quickly from a babe in my arms into this confident and lovely young girl.

It was a powerful lesson on impermanence and a reminder to stay present and to appreciate all the details every single day.

Tell me, what small details of your life are you appreciating today?