Xiguna - November 6, 2009

The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure, but from hope to hope.
--Samuel Johnson

A truly powerful force in the universe is that of optimism. Optimism lies at the root of our mental and physical health. Feelings of hope can stimulate the body’s immune system and inspire recovery from a critical illness.

Optimism expresses itself in the persistence and resilience of living things. A child learning to walk repeatedly falls down and picks himself up until he stands erect. A decade after the eruption of Mount St. Helens destroyed the local ecology, life had reestablished itself on this volcano with amazing abundance and rapidity. And despite its hostile environment, a sole dandelion miraculously pushed itself up through a crack in the concrete. That dandelion was optimistic that it could and would survive.

In the long run, the forces of love and life always triumph over those of fear and death. No matter how challenging the obstacles or difficult the tests, there is always cause for optimism.
--Douglas Bloch

X is for Xiguna
2.5" x 3.5" Watercolor & Ink

An edible fruit that looks similar to a watermelon, only shorter in size. Chinese

I was happy to find a food that started with X, for my alphabet series.

Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 -December 1784), often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, novelist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. Johnson was a devout Anglican and political conservative, and has been described as "arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history". He is also the subject of "the most famous single work of biographical art in the whole of literature": James Boswell's Life of Samuel Johnson.

Douglas Bloch, M.A., is an author, teacher and counselor who writes and speaks on the topics of psychology, healing and spirituality. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from New York University and an M.A. in Counseling from the University of Oregon. He is the author of ten books, including the inspirational self-help trilogy Words That Heal: Affirmations and Meditations for Daily Living; Listening to Your Inner Voice; and I Am With You Always, as well as the parenting book, Positive Self-talk for Children. His newest work, When Going Through Hell…Don't Stop! A Survivor's Guide to Overcoming anxiety and Clinical Depression has just been published.A former radio talk show host and popular public speaker, Douglas has given hundreds of lectures and workshops to businesses, schools, church groups, recovery centers and national psychology conferences. He has also appeared on radio and television shows across the country.Douglas makes his home in Portland, Oregon with his partner Joan and his two cats and muses, Gabriel and Athena.