Recently we had the opportunity to travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky. While there, we visited the Downing Museum (click here for info), and it was a worthwhile visit. We learned that Joe Downing was a very prolific painter, and he was an avid user of broken, discarded, or damaged media to paint on. He took things that many (maybe most) would have thrown out and made the objects into beautiful works of art. He was maybe the consummate example of damaged things having value.
If you have read any of my blog posts, you now that I can’t (or choose not to) leave it there, though. I have to move from damaged things to damaged people. There is a great quote from Hemingway, used in A Farewell to Arms, that I want to share in its entirety:
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.
I have long appreciated this quote because I am one of those broken (or damaged) people. I wrote a post a while back about owning what I am and owning what I am not. I am damaged—in small ways, fortunately—on most levels: physical, emotional, mentally at times. I think many (or most) of us are, if we are honest about it. Like Hemingway said, life breaks everyone. I’d like to think that I’ve gotten stronger at the broken places, but there are days that I wonder. I have no desire to follow Hemingway’s example (see here), but I do like the idea of following Downing’s example. I want to show others that there is value to damaged things (or people, in my case). Just because we might be nicked or beat up or otherwise showing some wear and tear doesn’t mean that we don’t have something of beauty to offer.