"So if I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that."
-good will hunting-
Day 26/31: when i heard the news yesterday of robin williams' death, i was saddened like most americans who have spent the better part of their lives enjoying his art and humor. i was even lucky enough to see him as a guest when we attended the letterman show in 2007. one of my favorite movies of all time is "good will hunting." williams plays "sean" who is the therapist in the movie. there are so many beautiful exchanges between he and will. i remember watching it when i was 15 and the quote above really stayed with me. what does it smell like in the sistine chapel?
eleven years later, i found myself standing in the sistine chapel, looking up at that beautiful ceiling, and this part from the movie came to me. i had such a moment of self-awareness then. the idea that we can learn about anything we want, but that we don't really know it until we experience it with all our senses it has stayed with me. the moment in the sistine chapel for me was filled with gratitude and humility. i never really dreamed i would be there, and yet it was so. and the lasting impression i carry is really a visceral one...the buzz of people, the energy inside (there and me), the guards hushing the crowds when the noise was above an acceptable range, the staring upward in reverence and wonder at the frescoes thinking "just how did human hand create such beauty?"
thank you, robin, for the beauty you created for us in your time here.
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