Day 52: Peter Tunney
What do you do for a living?
Apparently, I’m now an artist.
What do you do to feel alive?
A few things of course. Lots of things make me feel alive. Lately, the older I get it’s the little things. I had a berry in my mouth this morning and I waited and slowly crushed it in my teeth and let the blackberry juice explode in my mouth. I felt alive right there. The truth is the experience of being alive is in the eating of a berry… I like to jump in the sea. I like to smoke a cigar and I do like making art. I like the process of making art. It makes me feel like I’m getting somewhere.
A lesson you learned from your mother:
Don’t say unkind things about other people. She’s a master of that. There’s just no upside in it. Gossip is like a small death.
A lesson you learned from your father:
Tell the truth. I don’t think my dad ever told a lie. Pretty amazing when you think about it.
What’s the most beautiful thing you saw today?
Well my breakfast was gorgeous. You know Mark Twain when he was going west was sitting one morning on the footsteps of some mining town porch he stopped along the way and said, “There’s nothing better one can do than have ham and eggs while looking onto these incredible vistas.” – and I truly feel that. What else could you ever want?
What’s one thing you wouldn’t want anyone to take away from you?
My vision – as in eye sight – not wisdom.
What’s a thought you would like to never have again?
“How do I get out of here?”
If you could become an inanimate object what would it be?
All the options suck given the alternative of being alive…Maybe I’d like to be a flag very high up on a great big flag pole blowing in the breeze.
When do you feel most loved?
You know to be honest I think it’s when I’ve finally gotten around to loving myself. There can be a lot of external love coming at you, but you can feel like a piece of shit and you’re not really receiving it. It’s a really hard thing to look into the mirror and stare deeply into your own eyes and say “I love you.” There’s no reason that everyone shouldn’t be able to do it, but we’re just so down on ourselves.
If your life were to end tomorrow what would be left undone?
Nothing.
What global issue would you take on if you didn’t have to worry about how?
Child abuse and abduction. I hate that.
What’s the scariest thing that ever happened to you?
Me! By far! – That’s true by the way.