What is Your Divine Proportion? (And I’m not referring to your body mass index)

Spring has sprung in Central Florida and it’s gorgeous. Our springs are often a hybrid of seasons, vacillating between a touch of winter and heatwaves that preview what summer has in store for us with temperatures fluctuating between 45 to 85. But the recipe for my favorite version of springtime in Florida is delightfully low humidity, temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s, breezes that rustle reincarnated greenery and whisper sweet somethings to my skin. A hallmark of the season is the fuchsia, pale pink, and purple blossoms bursting from the azalea bushes. Nature begs us to pause, notice, and say Amen. 

 I would argue, this time in nature’s calendar invites us to incorporate more color into our daily lives. That, quite frankly, is an invitation I whole heartedly accept. Obviously, the title of this newsletter and my blog, Be Brave. Lose the Beige, offers a clue as to my obsession with color…all colors, the more the better. My definition of color, however, extends beyond just hues, tones, and pigments. Coloring up your life means adding joy and enrichment to it. Aging often is accompanied by subtractions as we endure the loss of formerly functioning body parts and loved ones. So “Coloring up your life” means compensating for these losses by adding back in good stuff. As a 35+ year pollster I often look at things from a mathematical standpoint – addition/subtraction, ratios, and percentages. How can we increase the percentage of happiness and delight in our lives to achieve what the ancient Greeks called “the Divine Proportion” or “Golden ratio” (love the color symbolism). This ratio is found in natural objects like pinecones, the human face, and the nautilus shell and represents ultimate beauty and completeness. As a Humanities major, this concept, found in nature, and applied to art, anatomy, and architecture, fascinates me. And I think it can be applied to how we choose to live our lives as we age into our sixties, seventies, eighties, and beyond.

 I was thinking about this idea last weekend when my gut was turning over from anxiety about my husband’s impending treatment for the neuroendocrine tumors discovered in his gut. A scheduling snafu had postponed his infusion for a week, so we took this bonus of time as a reprieve and filled our week with fun and beauty. We rode bicycles and played golf, savoring the beauty of our Florida spring weather. “Bike-riding was my ticket to freedom when I was a kid,” Jim commented during our two-wheeled excursion to the Orlando Museum of Art. He felt young again atop his blue Townie.

I told my daughter I had found her wedding dress at the Orlando Museum of Art. My husband said she might have to water it periodically, however.

“Art in Bloom”, celebrating the return of spring at the OMA, featured stunning floral interpretations of artwork from their collection. We were enveloped by beauty as we wandered through rooms decorated with carefully cultivated vignettes. The exhibition breathed tranquility back into jagged nerves.

One of the cool vignettes at the museum

 We attended an outdoor Jazz and Blues Festival with dear friends, enjoying the sensuality of the music and the quality of the air. I saw a smile sneak onto the face of my Blues-obsessed husband as a guitarist played a cool blues riff during one of the performances.

A Happy Husband Enjoying the Blues

The universe provided us with the distraction of a solar eclipse the day before his treatment was scheduled. Although we were perched in Blue Jacket Park rather than Giant City Park outside Carbondale, Illinois (in the path of totality), we still donned the requisite glasses to watch the moon make crescent shapes of the sun in the sky and on the sidewalks.

Sidewalk shadows created during the eclipse

Pretty cool, huh? Of course, as I freaked out for seven hours waiting for Jim’s treatment to end, I wondered where the hell all that tranquility had gone. However, seven hours spent in an anxious state versus a week spent enjoying nature, beauty, and fun activities made me think I had achieved that elusive Divine Proportion.

 Even simple acts can nurture the positive : negative survival ratio. I stumbled upon a booth of whimsical pottery at an art festival and promptly purchased this gem.

I realize it may not be everyone’s cup of tea (or coffee) but it is definitely mine. Twenty-five dollars seemed like a fair price for a handmade piece of art that brings joy to my mornings and hope for a new day. The funny, imaginative drawings created by The Playful Potter, elicit a smile from me even when unloading it from the dishwasher.  It even has a title- “Love is in the Air”.

 The multi-colored Adirondack chairs in my backyard have provided us with a colorful space to sit and recover. Jim’s treatment rendered him radioactive for a few days and unable to be in close proximity with loved ones (including our puppy who has been very confused). Color dresses up the mundane and brings the party even amid challenging circumstances.

 So, what is your ideal proportion? Optimistically, mine is living life in thirds. One-third confronting the inevitable challenges, and two-thirds recognizing and striving to incorporate joy and love in my days. I want to hear from you. Please join my private Facebook page, The Magenta Life, by clicking here and share your thoughts.