An Old Buddha; A New Life
When I was 5 years old, I loved playing in our family room. My
favorite game was to put on some music and twirl and twirl until I fell
down. (Yes, this is a possible explanation for any crazy behavior I
currently exhibit.)
A large room, our family room had brown wood paneling walls interrupted only with windows and a large sliding door which led to the back patio. The carpet, if I recall correctly, was a brownish color as were the curtains. But one thing in that room was not brown-the big red Buddha that lived on the lower shelf of the media center. Buddha would smile 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while we dined, listened to music, watched tv and enjoyed about 10 Christmases in that room. He seemed happy to watch me play, dance, fall down, cry-it didn't matter. He remained cheerful regardless of what transpired around him.
Never ones to throw things away, my parents held on to that Buddha when they moved. I think he lived on a shelf in the garage for the next 17 years, never failing to keep his cheerful countenance while surrounded by domestic and wild animals, boxes of clutter, plants and a vehicle. A couple of months ago I asked Mom if I could have him. For some reason he was on my mind and I wanted to see if I could give him a new home in my life.
Mom kindly passed Buddha along to me and I held on to him for a while, pondering what to do with him. First, he stood sentry on my front porch, keeping watch over the household. Then he sat on the back porch for a while and kept Ricky Bobby (the cat) company when he ate.
Initially,
I intended to repaint Buddha red, just to stay true to his roots.
However, it just so happened that I had a can of silver spray paint
left over from another project. So I gave Buddha a bath in the kitchen
sink, let him dry, and sprayed away. The result:
Silver Buddha
A Buddha for a new era
.
What I learned from this project:
1. Wash items carefully. I chipped Buddha in a couple of places because of rough handling.
2. Spray paint drips. (oops). Spray lightly with each coat.
3. You may have to spray with the object in one position, allow to dry, turn it over (or on its side, etc.) to get to another area.
4. Parents have great stuff in their garages.
A large room, our family room had brown wood paneling walls interrupted only with windows and a large sliding door which led to the back patio. The carpet, if I recall correctly, was a brownish color as were the curtains. But one thing in that room was not brown-the big red Buddha that lived on the lower shelf of the media center. Buddha would smile 24 hours a day, 7 days a week while we dined, listened to music, watched tv and enjoyed about 10 Christmases in that room. He seemed happy to watch me play, dance, fall down, cry-it didn't matter. He remained cheerful regardless of what transpired around him.
Never ones to throw things away, my parents held on to that Buddha when they moved. I think he lived on a shelf in the garage for the next 17 years, never failing to keep his cheerful countenance while surrounded by domestic and wild animals, boxes of clutter, plants and a vehicle. A couple of months ago I asked Mom if I could have him. For some reason he was on my mind and I wanted to see if I could give him a new home in my life.
Mom kindly passed Buddha along to me and I held on to him for a while, pondering what to do with him. First, he stood sentry on my front porch, keeping watch over the household. Then he sat on the back porch for a while and kept Ricky Bobby (the cat) company when he ate.
Buddha, Ricky Bobby and the watering can
Silver Buddha
A Buddha for a new era
.What I learned from this project:
1. Wash items carefully. I chipped Buddha in a couple of places because of rough handling.
2. Spray paint drips. (oops). Spray lightly with each coat.
3. You may have to spray with the object in one position, allow to dry, turn it over (or on its side, etc.) to get to another area.
4. Parents have great stuff in their garages.
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