#hoffmanheightsshoppingcenter

[nomotorobison]

Appreciation of a Free Donut

It was the start of the winter holiday season in Aurora Colorado - probably around 1970 I was in junior high school and had been asked to paint a seasonal mural on the window of a donut shop at one end of the Hoffman Heights Shopping Center. It must of been my East Junior High art teacher who had set this up as there were a couple other students there and we each had our own large pane of window to paint. I remember the process began with using a bar of soap to sketch out the design on the glass before dipping into my tempera paints and then covering the window with color to reveal my original design. I don't know what time we started the process, probably early afternoon. But by the time I had finished painting it had become dark outside. Not that it was extremely late. This was December so the sun set early.

I cleaned up my paint supplies and as we were about to leave when the owner of the donut shop offered us a donut, any donut we wanted. I wasn't expecting any sort of compensation for my work. I did the painting as some sort of extra curricular art class assignment. But after smelling donuts while painting for several hours I was delighted by the offer. So I picked out a donut and the owner also gave me a cup of hot chocolate. The other students took theirs to go but for whatever reason I remained there in the donut shop, sitting alone, consuming my donut while gazing at the window admiring my work and feeling accomplished but also observing the outside world around the shopping center - all the lights and all the people having just gotten off of work rushing around doing their Christmas shopping.

A few years later I would take my very first job at the other end of that same shopping center. Bussing tables at Joe's Pizzeria for $1.25 an hour.

Perhaps the reason this memory of the donut shop has returned to me is that now that I am a few years retired, I am at the other side of that moment in terms of my working life. I am again creating art without any expectation of compensation. My medium has switched from tempera paints and a pane of glass to digital cameras and computer editing but still creating my art. So just as I was so appreciative of the donut shop owner who offered me a donut over a half century ago I am appreciative of those who have recognized my creative endeavors and are willing to contribute to them. I was recently surrounded by so many of those people at the cast and crew screening of my feature film "The Eve of May" and hope they realize how much their involvement is appreciated by me.

And in a final note: When you started reading this maybe you were expecting some exciting or humorous tale but I believe sometimes appreciating the simple happy moments in our lives is far more important. If you've seen many of my films you probably realize this about me. So, wishing all of you a merry Christmas. Enjoy your day today and each day that follows. Try not to let decades pass before you realize what a nice time you had today.