Today on a neighborhood walk, I paused to watch an artist transform a grey utility box into a beautiful painting of luscious fruit.

“There is a story behind this” said Ricardo, the artist and he politely asked ” would you like to hear it? “ I love stories, especially ones accompanying paintings.

It went like this:

Ricardo talked of his friend who was very depressed and Ricardo expressed that he might be depressed also. “Oh no!” said the friend. “You are sad and that is different.” In their discussion he shared with Ricardo how there are some things we take in that can exacerbate depression – like alcohol – and others that can amplify joy, such as pomegranates and cherries.

Ricardo indicated the large and luscious pomegranates that he was painting on the box. “My friend lost his battle with cancer,” he paused as he choked with emotion, “and I am painting these fruits in his memory”.

Whenever I pass that box, with its stories, the painting is an emblem of friendship, it shares the teaching of the sick man and expresses the love of the artist who wants his friend to be honored and remembered.

I wonder about the stories held by other utility boxes. The touch of art on our lives………