It was a Saturday morning like any other. The kids were up early, itching to watch some cartoons and play while we, the parents, caffeinated ourselves and prepared for the day ahead.
This morning was marked by a special occasion—a field trip.
An immersive Van Gogh exhibit we purchased tickets for months prior.
Through circumstances that were unexplained, getting the kids out the door was smooth and traffic was light all the way there. We arrived early and secured our spot as first in line.
We were let in to the four rooms of this experience, the first of which were swaths of text to give background information. Interesting to me and my wife, but hardly a concern for kids who want to run.
The second room was a darkened, cozy area, with a light display augmented with text and music. A neat foray into the artistic side of things and held the interest of my three year old for an entire two minutes, but they quickly ran off to the penultimate area.
Consider an abandoned warehouse, but overtaken by the creativity of many people who want to honour an artist who saw the beauty of nature. Upon entering the room, I was struck by its magnificence.
I stopped, mouth gaped open while feeling lost in the exhibit around me. The combination of artistic representation and music merged to create a euphoric experience that could barely be described by the mystics.
Sure, I took pictures and some video, but they pale in comparison to just being there.
It makes you stop.
I didn’t want to leave.
My kids danced as the art flowed across the walls and floor, captivated by all that was happening around them. I danced with them. We sat together and watched, then left when the experience ran its course.
I’m still thinking about it.
In our fast-paced world that changes by the minute, giving us cultural amnesia with every passing year, how often are we struck by something so beautiful that it causes us to sit with it for the day?
Perhaps it’s out there, but we are ignoring it… just like the artist on display who only sold one painting in his lifetime, but is still teaching us how to see.