Jambalaya
J12-0342 October 2012
I have to say, this is the first time I’ve made a piece of art and even when it was complete, I didn’t know what it was. Usually, before I cut any steel I have some idea of what will emerge from the other end of the creative process. Not this time.
It was like I was in the kitchen with my white chef’s apron, blindfolded making “Jambalaya”. The only thing I knew for sure was the basic ingredient would be steel (rice, if you’re cooking) and the rest, just like a good “Jambalaya”, would involve a little of “this” and a little of “that” mixed with a whole lotta love. (Kitchen sink excluded.)
Life is like that. It always has been. Your take some of what you know and some of what you think you know mix it with some of what you find and just a dash of things you are given; shake well and let it simmer on the stove of life. Then with a big Island Margarita, enjoy what has been created. “Jambalaya” happened exactly that way.
“Jambalaya” gives two versions of the same life. One side is the spectator. It has all the components of a well-lived life and when admired by friends it is considered complete and full. The other side is the participant. Immediately, you can see something is different. Colors fill the nooks and crannies. Although the components are the same for both sides, you can’t help but think this is a life lived well with stories to tell long after the sun has set.
Neither side is right or wrong and one is not better that the other. Sometimes in the process of living, we are both a spectator and a participant depending upon the moment in time. Just like with “Jambalaya”, you can’t always tell where you will end up. However, if you are willing to face the adventure called life, what awaits you will definitely be spectacular.
