Today was a good day. I had planned on going to DC for the day - see the "Evolution of Art" exhibit at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. That didn't work out so well for a few reasons. Mostly, I didn't feel much desire to go. Thunderstorms & only a few hours actually in DC didn't hold much weight against a beautiful day here, where I could do and see a lot more. So, this time, staying put was the right answer.

I started my morning with plans to buy honey at the Farmer's Market. When I arrived, the lot was empty. So, apparently either no one came, or everyone came and was already gone. That's okay - moved right on to coffee and a stroll across the Stone Arch Bridge , one of my favorite spots in Mpls. (And, it ended up being very fitting to spend some time along the great Mississippi, as I will discuss shortly). I saw a boat come through - on the back of which stood a man, juggling three red balls. I was amused.

Then, I headed to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which was by far the highlight of my day. I saw three great exhibits, but my overall favorite was a collection done by a (new) photographer, Alec Soth, and was entitled, "Sleeping by the Mississippi". I'm not sure if he actually slept by the Mississippi, but he did travel along it and took really really good photographs as he went. Each image told an intimate story and communicated (to me) the strange relationship we all feel between suffering and the hope we feel that we can be saved from it. Soth used one of those old cameras - you know, the kind you have to hide behind and cover yourself with a black cloth. It apparently helped him remove himself from the portrait, leaving an honesty that otherwise couldn't be captured. Aside from the beautiful content, the photos were incredible. Huge and perfect. I wish I knew more of the stories behind each one - I guess that was a big part of it for Soth. He asked each of his subjects to tell him a dream they had for their life. Most of the dreams were simple and completely attainable. Others claimed to have stopped dreaming long ago. Anyway, I want to buy his book, which includes all these photos and more, but it, of course, is priced a bit on the high end.

I also saw an exhibit by Lee Friedlander, which was supposed to be special. He was humerous and interesting, but not necessarily beautiful. Then, I also walked through an exhibit called, "Smoke and Mirrors: A Journey to Healing Knowledge". This was photographs (again) of Bolivian medical practices (and practitioners). I like this topic - the body-mind-spirit connection - so much so that I wrote a final paper about it just a few months ago. It was especially interesting to see this topic discussed through a different culture's interpretation. Western medicine (and thought) has done and excellent job of categorizing humanity into dimensions, whereas this culture keeps them united. I'm not saying that these practices are to our/their benefit (in fact, I have little reason to believe that rubbing an egg over a person's body, cracking in into a glass of water, and then reading it as a mode of diagnosis is credible). I guess stuff like that doesn't hold much weight to me - in a physical or a spiritual sense - but I think that realizing it exists can help remind me how much strength spirituality holds and, even, the power of the placebo effect. In addition to looking at medical practices, I think it would be interesting to investigate how different people groups approach death. I think that alone has a tremendous influence on the faith people have in medicine & how medicine is developed, whatever it's form.

Then, I strolled through a few antique shops, sat at the Walker Sculpture Garden and really committed some time to The Brothers. Which, I love by the way. Mostly, I love the narrator. He is delightful & I can't help but feel like we are talking face to face.

Today gave me more room to think, which was nice.