March 21, 2017 –  “You have such a nice voice on the phone.”

The other day someone was looking at one wall in my office, now my writer’s office, previously my St. John Title Insurance office. This wall has all my diplomas, certificates and licenses which summarized the years of study that were underlying my St. John Title Company, LLC entity.  In essence, the “bragging wall” I had created after attending a Women’s Empowerment Seminar.  I am not sure it empowered me; more like it gave me an excuse to clutter up a wall with all the credentials that had been shoved in closets and attics along the path of my life.

Aelbert Cuyp - Cowherd with Cows by the River

She was scrutinizing most of the items on one wall [the other wall has Audubon bird prints on it] when she asked about the above captioned print which was or is currently hung in the National Gallery in London.

“What’s with the cows?”  She asked.

I had to laugh and then smile.  The copy of the above Aelbert Cyup painting is in an elegant gold frame with beige linen inset and hung in the middle of the wall at eye level.  It has absolutely nothing to do with anything other than it is a calming scene. It is a mid 1600s scene of bovines wading in the river under the watch of a cowherd with an incredible sky of pink and golden lights along with sail boats and fishermen adding a curious twist to the pastoral scene.  Usually when you see animals grazing in a pastoral scene you don’t get the added bonus of sailboats and fishermen.  It is sort of a two-for-the-price-of-one painting.

One of the first stress management seminars I went to after I had attained the rank of Office Manager suggested you locate a painting and hang it directly in front of your phone so that you could step into the calm of the painting to control the stress in your life and portray a calm, cool and collected voice in your business telephoning.

The “cow picture” as she had asked about is my “calm voice” telephone picture that has traveled with me from job to job to job for many years.   When I make or answer calls that are stressful I look at this picture and transport myself to the waters’ edge imagining myself lifting my 16^th century linen skirts to cool my feet and look out at the cowherd and the industry of the fisherman out in the river.  Then I can tackle any call.

But, what is more curious about this, I didn't have to look for a peaceful scene, I'd kept one for many years that was perfect. When I was a teenager I received a complimentary copy of some sort of Art magazine and it captivated me.  I kept the magazine for years and eventually tore out page 15-16 and saved it for years in my "memoir papers" box. [I was probably about 17 at the time, but I thought I would have a rich life filled with interesting papers from an interesting life and this started my collection.]

“So, you going to tell me?” she asked again.

“I look at it when I am on the phone,” I answered not certain if I should tell her the rest.

“That’s why you have such a nice telephone voice.” She stated. 

Eventually I told her about the Stress Management class and the peaceful picture [of course editing out the memoirs bit – she didn’t need to know that much, yet]. She admitted she’d heard that theory about the peaceful scene picture, too.

I never tire of new friends asking me what something I own is or means as it always gives me a new perspective on my life.