Larry Bellino

This past Sunday March 11th, 2012 I lost a very dear friend. In preparing an image for his mother as a gift… something to portray him at the wake and funeral services. I did quite a bunch of thinking, and I came away with one important thing I’d like to share…

As I prepped the image, and chose a frame, and began to lay it out. I was interrupted several times. First the phone, then a text message… an email.. a client called, an IM from a social network, etc. It got me thinking… I said to myself, focus! This is important, it deserves my full concentration, you need to be in this moment and every detail matters… you can not simply crop it really quickly, you MUST make sure that it is as best as it can possibly be…. Out of respect for Larry. He’d have done the same for you. The tears came, and a smile did too, I smiled because, heck… part of the reason why Id gotten along with Larry was.. he did everything with the level of care and attention to detail that made you realize it when you saw the finished product. You in turn felt things he did. They had impact. That was one of the many reasons I liked him. I realized that I too place the same level of importance in my work as he demonstrated in so many aspects of his life. I had to think though, do I give the same level at all times… to all things I attend to or take part in? A heavy question. Someone once said… “Everything matters” I think there is such a tremendous amount of truth in that. I made a decision right then and there, to actively make efforts to bring that level of focus and care to everything I do. To remind myself that what I do matters. To quiet the mind when the world begins to buzz… and to focus on the task at hand. To be in the moment, and practice all the Buddhist ways I’ve admired, learned from and too often times forgotten.

If these words resonate with you, perhaps you too will make a similar effort. If you do, just know that the warm feeling you have in making this decision is quite possibly a bit of the warmth that my dear friend left behind for us.

Much love

R.I.P. Larry Bellino

~j.j.

Share