#62) PERSPECTIVE @ Seaside Sculpture Park

Perspective: Of all the vantage points one can view the world from, of all the view points one can believe in - perspective - may be one of the most valuable sights of them all.

CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ~ CHANGE YOUR LIFE

It’s vitally important, and maybe now more than ever before for many, to consider your perspective.

Because it shouldn’t be:
What CAN’T you do while sheltering in place? Or, in quarantine, or while practicing social distancing?
It’s definitely much more like this:
What CAN you do?

If you’re stuck at home right now - maybe you’re doing your part to either not catch or spread the Coronavirus...

The question should be:
How can I make the most of the situation I find myself in?
Instead of: What the heck am I supposed to do now?!

And instead of:
Constantly complaining over all the little things?
It should definitely be much more like this:
What little thing can I be grateful for today?

And when we stress over all the INCONSISTENCIES in our life….
All the UNPREDICTABLY...
All the UNCERTAINTIES over the future…

We should instead be focused on TODAY…

To live in the moment. To appreciate our life. To be present in the here and now.

What can we LEARN from today?
What can we APPRECIATE today?
What can we CREATE today?
What kind of ADVENTURE can we go on today?

What SMALL thing, right in front of our eyes - can we turn into our EVERY THING?

A Sheltie’s Adventure.

When, in your current reality, it may be more like this:
What can I focus on today… to simply make it through the day alive?

You see, in order to make it through a situation successfully, historically, people who survive intact and come out living and breathing on the other end, have focused on the little things. Whether it’s second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. Focus entirely needs to be on the present moment. And the simple routine of daily life. And then, those simple and small moments, add up to perseverance, add up to survival, and add up to the journey, and to life itself.

And right now, amidst all the uncertainty of the CoVid19 pandemic, many people are stuck at home. Many people are confined and sheltering-in-place. Many people are alone. Many people are bored. Many people are working their behinds off. Many - countless people - on the front lines of this world war, are stressed to the max, while literally putting their lives on the line for others. And many people - whatever they are doing, or not doing - are trying to make it through another day on this, our Earth.

So, as I write about the little things in life - today, I wanted to finally take the time to highlight a very small, and a very special park, on a lovely little street corner in my little beach town.

Yes - There’s a great little park in Jax Beach that you should definitely check out in the future.

And unless you and your area is currently under a shelter-in-place order or official quarantine, etc., my guess is that you’ll still be trying to get some fresh air at some point each day. While making every effort to stay home as well.

We are still going to the grocery store, and picking up take out, and going to pharmacies, and getting fuel in the car. And lots of people are still in need of walking their dogs. And many who are able are going for walks themselves.

So the really great thing about this seaside park is the fact that it has absolutely nothing that you should or need to be actually physically touching in any way. It’s all sculpture. It’s all art. On display. It’s all to look at. It’s all to gaze upon. It’s a great place to safely get some fresh air while you may be practicing social distancing. It’s located directly next door to the Ugly Cupcake & Muffinry. And most importantly, of course, it’s right on the oceanfront.

So, no need to worry about spreading or catching germs while gazing at beautiful art in the fresh coastal air.

Seaside Sculpture Park, located @ 480 1st Street South, in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, really is one of the little hidden gems in this small coastal town I call home.

I’ve been frequenting this park since moving to Florida. And I have watched the art get changed out many times. Sometimes, the piece of art proudly on display becomes so commonplace and usual and ordinary to life on 1st Street - and blended seamlessly into the surrounding scenery, that when a sculpture gets changed out for something new, there's a fictitious and dramatic or literal uproar in town.

In fact, right now there are Nemo fish on display. And a sea turtle. There used to be a copper looking shrimp, and there used to be a skeleton - that everyone misses. Right now there's a metal looking pipe that looks, to me, just like the Pixar logo lamp. And currently, I’ve become so used to the Nemo fish, that when they leave, I will be the one in an uproar.

Well, not really. But all kidding aside, when the Nemo fish came, I started to call the park the Nemo Fish Park - instead of its rightful and real name. And that’s now what it always will be to me.

Seaside Sculpture Park is run by the University of North Florida. More specifically, the UNF Department of Art & Design. The actual UNF campus is a little bit over the bridge and inland to the west, located very close to the St. John Town Center. UNF has a beautiful and sprawling, vast piece of land that the entire campus sits upon. With swamps and trails and lots of wildlife, all surrounding the campus buildings, offices, and dorms.

And about as many times as I’ve driven past the campus, I’ve visited my Nemo Fish Park about a thousand times more than that.

My dog also loves the park. And if you’ve got a dog right now in the current apocalypse spreading before us, they definitely still need to get their daily walk in.

So if you’re local, I’d highly recommend checking out this adorable and free park.

And if you’re much farther away, my recommendation is to find the small park in your own town. To think outside the box. And then go ahead and get outside of your own box. And breathe some fresh air into your lungs. In a safe and common sense kind of way. Yes, there are lots of areas on complete lockdown, quarantine, and shelter-in-place, etc. And always heed the warnings of your locality. But if you’re not under direction right now, you should consider stepping outside. Keep your distance. And get in a lovely walk. Maybe to a lovely park.

Because, as you may be cooped up at home, it doesn't mean you still shouldn’t live. And breathe. And feel the sun on your skin.

So, go ahead and get out there. Go ahead and change your vantage point. Go ahead and change your point of view. Go ahead and change your perspective. And go ahead and change your life.

You can keep social distance, you can follow all the guidelines, you can gaze upon without touching, you can breathe in the fresh air, and you can look at all the beauty around you.

Because, maybe instead of:
I’m stuck in the house with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
It can actually be:
Today, I’m going for a walk to Seaside Sculpture Park. And I’ll look at the Nemo Fish, while I look up at the sky. And watch the birds fly overhead. And I’ll see all the other dogs being walked.

Because maybe while Mother Nature certainly can be a beast and an evil villain, she can also most certainly be the true heroine of your own amazing story. ~

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Author:

Christine Pieper is an Artist and Lifestyle Blogger, living, writing, and painting in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, with her hubby and eight year old puppy. She made a major life change in 2017 by uprooting and moving from Illinois to the Sunshine State, and has been living her best life in Florida since - detailing all her many and varied adventures living and traveling the Deep South to share with you. Her mission is to help you live YOUR best life - by getting out there, going for it, and making that big change you always dreamed of. Christine will inspire you to get over yourself, show up for yourself, and get out of your own way. The only one stopping you - is YOU.

To catch all of Christine’s Floridian Dreams, sign up your email below now.

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What hidden gem in your town have you discovered since the Coronavirus took precedent over all our lives? I’d love to know. Drop me a comment down below:

Hey you! Over there! Yes, you - the one with the different perspective… go ahead and check out some more inspirational stories right here:
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21] Cinotti’s ~ And Why Life Is Too Short To Not Eat Donuts
23] Faith ~ And Life Lessons Learned Living With Wild & Untamable Hair
26] Deck The Chairs ~ BE THAT CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THIS OUR VERY OWN AND SHAREABLE WORLD
27] Thanksgiving & Pete’s Bar ~ Not All Resolutions Need Be Fulfilled On January First
28] The Scent of Christmas in the Air
34] Merry Christmas ~ And How To Buy For That Person On Your List Who Saved Your Life ~
36] The End Of A Decade & My New Year’s Wish To You ~
37] New Year/New 007 ~ Here’s 20 Tips That Will Have You Seeing 20/20 In 2020 ~
39] The Very Official & Quite Serious Donut Debate Of 2020
41] Minnie The Daschund Mouse & Her Birthday Wish
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51] Life Is Full Of Pasta-Bilities ~ Bean’s Red Sauce Recipe
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Plus - if you’re looking for further ways to help you through this Corona Crisis that we find ourselves in right now - check out the below posts for a few more ideas:
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60] Welcome To Muffin Land ~ The Ugly Cupcake & Muffinry
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And for some more artistic adventures - check out the links below:
2] 3 Wows Plus 1 Piece Of Magic I Experienced At Jacksonville, Florida’s Cummer Museum Of Art & Gardens
14] Finding Trinkets & Treasures @ The Jax Beach Vintage Flea Market
22] Saturday On San Pablo Island
24] In Real Life ~ My First Visit To A Southern Living Idea House
31] Tuesday’s On First Street ~ The Jax Beach Art Walk ~
32] Jolly Holiday In Jarboe Park ~ The Beaches Green Market
48] Love & Donuts In The Air @ Beaches For Australia

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