The Other Plan B September 13, 2020

“David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart….”

– quoted from 1 Samuel – The Old Testament (17:32 NIV)

Every once in a while it happens. I start off the day, working on a plan, and something in me says, “No, not that today.” So, I go to Plan B – and sometimes I get really into it, really excited about it and something in me will say, “Naw, I don’t think so.” So, I either go back to the drawing board or… I fight it. Yes, it’s true; sometimes I don’t listen to that “still quiet voice.” Sometimes I think the big, capital I (“I” that is my ego) knows better than whatever is moving around in my heart. Sometimes, I get halfway through the day, or all the way to the end of the day, and think, “Oh, maybe that’s why I should have paid more attention and been more present.”

There are, however, times when I absolutely am open to the Spirit and open to the moment. There are times when I let go of my frustration at things not going to the way I planned and I breathe…. That’s it. I take a breath and open to the moment. Oh, I still have a plan. In fact, it’s the best of all plans, That Other Plan B: Breathe – keep breathing; be open to the present; believe and be aware of “what it is you have offer.”

Just a few days ago, I mentioned Michelangelo’s David. Today I learned that Michelangelo was not the original sculptor. In fact, when the piece was first commissioned (along with a series of other large Old Testament statues intended for the Florence Cathedral) Michelangelo wasn’t even on the short list of those being considered. (The main reason he wasn’t on the list was because he hadn’t been born yet, but that’s beside the point.)

“Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

– Michelangelo

Donatello was commissioned to sculpt a statue of David at the same time Nanni di Banco was commissioned to carve a marble statue of the prophet Isaiah. Both statues ended up abandoned in the workshop. Meanwhile, Donatello made a statue of Joshua (an assistant to Moses) in 1410 and may have been Agostino di Duccio’s mentor when the latter was commissioned to create Hercules in 1463 (an odd choice, yes, but there he is. Donatello’s Joshua and Agostino’s Hercules were terracotta – and Donatello would create a statue of Saint John the Evangelist shoretly after they were finished. However, a block of marble had been chosen from a quarry in northern Tuscany and, in 1464, Agostino went to work on a second go at David. He didn’t get far – just the shape of the legs, feet, torso, and some drapery – before Donatello’s death in 1466. A second artist was commissioned to finish the statue in 1476, but it doesn’t seem like he did much. The marble, that may or may not have even had a gap to distinguish the two legs, was left abandoned, exposed to the elements for 26 years.

So much for Plan A and B.

Of course, that hunk of “badly blocked out” marble was expensive (and represented the additional expense and effort of its acquisition). So, in 1501, the Overseers of the Office of Works of the Florence Cathedral (the Operai) started looking for a master artist – with experience – to take on what the referred to as “The Giant.”

Yes, it is kind of ironic that the unfinished statue of the biblical underdog who takes on “the Giant” was referred to by officials of the Church as “The Giant.” Perhaps it is most fitting, then, that while several artistic giants, like Leonardo da Vinci, were considered; they did not receive the commission. Instead, the commission went to the artistic equivalent of the underdog, 26-year old Michelangelo, who began his work today in 1501.

Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, September 13^th) at 2:30 PM. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. PLEASE NOTE: Zoom 5.0 is in effect. If you have not upgraded, you will need to give yourself extra time to log into Zoom. You can always request an audio recording of this practice (or any practice) via email or a comment below.

Today’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

### DREAM ON, DREAM ON ###