Jackie Abrams
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Archived Blog

Two New Hips, Mindfulness, and Train Rides

2/17/2017

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On February 9, I had bilateral anterior hip replacements: two bright new shiny hips as I think about entering my 70’s.
 
I spent almost a week in the hospital, first in acute care, and then in re-hab, before coming home to begin the long healing process. My time in the hospital reminded me of how recovering from surgery is a mindfulness practice, in a way that is similar to a train trip.
 
Traveling on a train (which I do frequently, to visit my kids) is like suspending your life, your responsibilities for a day. Yes, I can still do computer work, but internet access is spotty, and so I don’t really try to be connected. I have text conversations with very few people, so it does not require my attention. My cell phone hardly rings, and when it does, I rarely answer it.
 
All of this puts me in a kind of ‘bubble’ when I am on the train. There are no expectations, no responsibilities. The day is mine. I can choose to read, to eat, to gaze out the window. I usually do all of those things. The choices are totally mine. It is enforced slow-living; I relish the time.
 
During the first night in the hospital, post-surgery, I found a semi-comfortable, drug-induced position, and never moved. I was wakened frequently, to take more drugs, to have my vital signs tested. The breathing and thinking I was doing during that time, and during the other times of restfulness, reminded me of my train trips. It was a freedom. There were no expectations; I didn’t need to pay attention to e-mails or politics. I was again in my own little ‘bubble.’
 
It was, and still is, a time of paying attention to multiple small details. How to walk, for example: keep your foot straight, lift it up, bring it forward, press down the heel, then the toe. Repeat with the other foot. Repeat. Repeat.
 
Is this drug-induced rambling? Perhaps. I hope that I am more able, in the future, to still be appreciative of every skill, to take nothing for granted.
 
 
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In the window of Mitchell • Giddings Fine Arts Gallery

2/7/2017

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On Main Street, Brattleboro, VT
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Peppers

2/6/2017

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The National Museum of African American History and Culture, Smithsonian, Washington, DC

2/4/2017

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It would take many days to see everything in this museum.

The three floors below ground focus on African American history. We spent hours on the lowest floor, "Slavery and Freedom 1400-1877." It is hard to find the words to describe the exhibits on this floor. "Overwhelming" and "incomprehensible" come to mind. 

The upper three floors are about culture and community. We visited the "Culture Galleries." Images are below. This floor was more celebratory. It was also a reminder that some things have not changed.
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"A Walk in Paradise Gardens," 1955, Romare Bearden
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Untitled, 1900s, Pervis Young
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"Do-Rag Brother," 1968, Vincent Smith
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"Off to War," 1942-44, WIlliam H. Johnson
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Untitled (a lie is not a shelter), 1989, Lorna Simpson
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Copyright © 2021 Jackie Abrams
  • Home
  • About
    • In the News
    • Exhibitions & Galleries
    • Public Collections
    • Artist Statement
    • Resume
    • 46 Years in Images
    • Artist Talks
  • Portfolios
    • Precarious Shelters
    • Twinings
    • Collaborations
    • Women Forms
    • Elemental Vessels
    • Spirit Women
    • Other Works
  • Teaching
  • International
    • Central America
    • Australia & New Zealand
    • Africa >
      • Pokuase, Ghana • Jan 09
      • Ghana & Uganda • 08
      • Pokuase, Ghana • Aug 08
      • Pokuase, Ghana • Jan 08
      • Bolgatanga & Nungua, Ghana • 07
      • Ghana • 06
      • Namibia • 05
      • Nungua, Ghana • 05
  • Archived Blog