My painting of three competitive cyclists racing across the countryside was completed with two days to spare before being donated as an item in a silent auction at a V.I.P. pre-event to the Amgen Tour of California, Stage 3. It was at that point that it struck me, "What if no one wants it?" Ouch! -- what a blow to the ego that would be.
When the auction ended, no one had met the minimum bids on my artwork, a jersey autographed by Lance Armstrong, and a second painting by another artist. The yellow jersey ended up being sold through a more traditional method with the auctioneer, microphone in hand, enticing guests to be generous. But my own 'race' to raise money for Breakaway from Cancer (a partnership between Amgen and four non-profit organizations spanning the continuum of cancer care) seemed to end without ever having seen the finish line.
When I work on a canvas, my bi-focals cause me to struggle. I'm nearsighted at just the wrong distance to keep things in proper focus at times. That's frequently true when it comes to looking at the 'big picture' in life, too.
One objective friend told me, "Not to worry. Just means the right person wasn't attending." Since the painting will be on display at the end of Stage 3, maybe that's exactly where it's supposed to be at the right moment. My disappointment made me momentarily too myopic to see that far down the road.
Think of the benefits we would reap by remembering to stay equipped with a set of high-powered binoculars and a helping hand from loyal friends to cope with the potholes of daily life.
