It's Just Not a Very Good Fit

Art has a way to calm, yet instigate. An ability to create quiet thought coupled to emotional outbursts. I've used it as a muse and a goal and a place to unload my sins. After every visit, my weary legs carry my stressed back and over-worked mind out into a world of beauty and inspiration.Today, I visited the Blanton Art Museum. A new Caldas exhibit, "The Nearest Air," challenged my appreciations of spatial dimensions. The lightness and beauty of the works truly caught me off guard. I also joined a tour of the Imperial Augsburg exhibit. Unbelievably, one of the first pieces to greet you is an indulgence; a literal ticket to heaven! I was unable to snag it, but did sneak this picture of it. Will that take me to heaven or hell? Better to not think about it.I left the museum feeling inspired, yet... unfulfilled. In the span of a couple of hours, I had experienced the extent of Austin's cultural offerings. My adult life has been surrounded by some of the finest cultural institutions in the world. Looking around now, the best I could find is one very above-average university museum.I thought back to past lives in former homes. In Dresden, I poured over the rich colors in the encyclopedic Gardner's Art Through the Ages, studiously making note cards upon my own volition. Once I arrived in Berlin, I celebrated Dönnerstag every Thursday night with a döner and a trip to the Alte Gemaeldegalarie, notecards in hand. In New York it was Friday nights at the Met with a glass of wine and the four-piece string ensemble in the foyer. In Brooklyn, it was Thursday nights at the Brooklyn Museum, with their contemporary look at art. Now... well... now what?!I miss it. I miss city life. The buzz. The noise. The rush. I miss ethnic neighborhoods with their strange smells and foreign foods. I miss Great Good Places, ripe with conversations and filled with actual neighbors, the kind you see every morning on the walk to work. I miss all those cultural offerings I used to take advantage of. City tours, Sunday strolls along the storefronts, and, yes, the art. Central Texas doesn't offer much in fulfilling those needs. It leaves me feeling like a caged bird with a throat so beat up by allergies it's unable to sing.Austin simply isn't a good fit for me. I knew that before I moved here and I'm reminded of it daily. I try to stay positive though. I have to stay positive. Negativity is so destructive. It's hard though. So I train my eye on the future. My time here is temporary. Make due with what's available, and be ready to take advantage of the next opportunity.So every day ends with me saying, "you're one day closer to moving."You're one day closer to moving.