Life is Precious - Handle with Care

"These Turbulent Skies" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Bad things happen to good people. After all the tragedy of the shootings at the Navy Yard in Washington, I was further shocked and saddened to learn of the sudden death of a fellow artist whose work is shown with mine at the same Williamsburg Gallery.

According to the notice, Polly Nunn was retrieving something that fell from her vehicle when she was killed on a Virginia highway last Saturday. That same day, we passed a vehicle pulled over by the median on I-95 in North Carolina. The driver was getting out to retrieve an object lying in the passing lane of the Interstate. Traffic on I-95 is crazy. A vehicle parked partially out in the roadway is a danger not only to itself but to all the cars and trucks flying along at 80 mph. How important is an object compared to a life?

Artists can be careless. We sometimes have big paintings and other objects that don't fit in our vehicles, so we tie them to the roof. A painting is precious. If it comes loose, we might never consider leaving it to its fate in the path of other vehicles. However, we should think hard before taking a chance to retrieve art or any other material object from a dangerous location.

Life is precious. One careless moment, and it is over.

Handle with care...