Between the millions of paintings that are created and shown in galleries and museums all around the world, a very small amount transcend time and make history. This select group of paintings is recognizable by people from all over the world and of all ages and will probably continue to echo and leave impressions in the minds of people in the centuries to come. Below is a list of some of the most famous paintings in the world.

1. Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci. The most famous painting in the world is the main attraction of the Louvre museum in Paris, where it is seen by six million people every year! Leonardo da Vinci painted it from the year 1503 or 1504 till shortly before he died in 1519

Most Famous Paintings: Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci

2. The Last Supper – Leonardo da Vinci. This world famous painting is not shown in a museum, but rather covers the back wall of the dining hall at Santa Maria delle Grazie monastery in Milan, Italy. It was painted by the most famous artist of all time, Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th-century. The painting depicts the scene of The Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples

Most Famous Paintings: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci

3. The Creation Of Adam – Michelangelo. Located on the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome. The Creation Of Adam was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512 and it is just one of nine scenes from the book of Genesis that are painted on the center of the ceiling of the chapel

Most Famous Paintings: The Creation Of Adam, by Michelangelo

4. Starry Night – Vincent van Gogh. Painted by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh in 1889, Starry Night is one of the most well known paintings in modern culture. The painting is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The painting was the inspiration for the song ”Vincent” (also known as “starry starry night”) by Don McLean. McLean’s song reference the painting as well as other paintings by the famous artist

Most Famous Paintings: Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh

5. The Scream – Edvard Munch. The most famous piece by Edvard Munch, painted around 1893. It was painted using oil and pastel on cardboard. This frightening painting is on display at The National Gallery, Oslo, Norway

Most Famous Paintings: The Scream, by Edvard Munch

6. The Persistence Of Memory – Salvador Dali. Painted in 1931 by the Spanish artist Salvador Dali, The Persistence of Memory is one of the most recognizable pieces in art history. This work of art is known to make people ponder on their way of life and the way they spend their time, and it is also thought that Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity was inspired by this wonderful piece

Most Famous Paintings: The Persistence Of Memory, by Salvador Dali

7. Girl With A Pearl Earring – Johannes Vermeer. Considered by many to be “the Dutch Mona Lisa” or the “Mona Lisa of the North”, this beautiful painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer features, well… a girl with a peal earring. The painting was completed around 1665 and is on display in the Mauritshuis Gallery in the Hague, the Netherlands

Most Famous Paintings: Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Johannes Vermeer

8. The Night Watch – Rembrandt van Rijn. Completed in 1642, this famous artwork is on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The painting depicts a city guard moving out, led by Captain Frans Banning Cocq, his lieutenant and the rest of the guard’s armed men

Most Famous Paintings: The Night Watch, by Rembrandt van Rijn

9. Self-Portrait Without Beard – Vincent van Gogh. Even though Van Gogh painted many portraits of himself, this one is by far the most famous as it is his last self-portrait and one of the few that depicts him without a beard. It was given by him to his mother as a birthday gift. It is also one of the most expensive paintings of all times, as it was sold for $71.5 million in 1998, and is now part of a private collection

Most Famous Paintings: Self-Portrait Without Beard, by Vincent van Gogh

10. Guernica – Pablo Picasso. The most famous painting by Picasso, completed in 1937. The painting was painted in Paris and is Inspired by the bombing of Guernica in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The painting is on permanent display in Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain

Most Famous Paintings: Guernica, by Pablo Picasso

Doing too much for too long is the perfect recipe for my body to break down. Restless sleep, aching knees and half-circles that hang under each eye are the main ingredients.

After the fatigue takes over is when I hear my inner voice begin to mutter. Softly at first, and then with increasing impatience when I don’t listen, it tells me: Slow down. Stop hurrying. You are doing too much.

Breaking Ourselves

Tragedies stumble into our lives like unwelcomed guests. They shock us, and they can break us, but at least we know their names –we know what to call them. And sometimes we even learn how to show them the door.

But it’s often the less obvious things that break us the most because they have a way of arriving without even making a sound. Deadlines, commitments, and never-ending to-do lists sneak up and leave our bodies damaged; our spirits shipwrecked.

So, we trudge on down the road while breaking ourselves in small ways almost every day. We allow ourselves to be driven by behaviors that are destructive. Often we are too focused on doing and less mindful of being – being peaceful and at rest.

Four Ways to Be, Simply Be

The best remedy to the daily breaking is learning how to go a little slower. When the doing too much signs are flashing, try these ways to slow down and be, simply be:

Treat the problem.
Along with taking care of your body, spend time taking care of the other problems like overworking, overstressing and overdoing. Begin by creating a life that has a better balance of work and rest. To do this, learn how to say “No,” when you’ve reach your limit.

Enjoy the right now.
Look to the past to acknowledge the lessons learned and set reasonable goals for the future, and put equal time into savoring exactly what you have right now.

Practice.
Slowing down is an art, not an science. Just as you put effort into tackling the to-do list, put the same effort into telling your mind to slow down. Practice by doing deep breathing, mediation or prayer.

Acknowledge the truth.
Often times we stay busy because there’s a certain familiarity with having a full plate. Our full plates give us a sense of meaning. But sometimes we keep our plates full because we are afraid of real connections; connections to others and to ourselves. It’s easier to say, “I’m just too busy to deal with that right now,” than finding the courage to be vulnerable and focus on what’s more important.

Sometimes the simple path to slowing down begins when you see your aches and pains as messengers that tell you to hurry less and appreciate more so you can enjoy a healthier life – physically emotionally and spiritually.

My inner voice is growing more impatient lately. Ignoring it isn’t working, so a little change is needed. It’s time to welcome slowing down into my house. I think I’ll let my new guest stay as long as it wants.

What is A Simple Path?

This post is in A Simple Path, a series of short pieces inspired by my own life experiences. Each post is a simple path to experiencing something wonderful: maybe seeing life from a different perspective, or celebrating its beauty.

Life is just a chance to grow a soul. – A. Powell Davies 

Morning runs are back!

From late May to mid-August, the sun is up early so getting outside for a morning run at 5:30 is possible. Even though I’m a year-round runner, this is my favorite time to lace up my shoes.

The smell of fresh morning air, hearing the birds’ sweet symphony and watching the sprinklers spray water across green grass fills my senses like no other moment. During these morning runs, I’m mindful of my heart beating as perspiration covers me like a thin, soft blanket.

There’s no question about it: I’m alive and consciously aware of what is going on around me.

Living Consciously

My morning summer runs are a wonderful reminder of the need to live consciously everyday.

Probably like you, I have the tendency to fall into predictable routines, or ruts: I get up – go to work – help with family responsibilities – squeeze in some writing time – fall into bed.

During these ruts I’ll living more automatically than consciously. The morning runs, on the other hand, offer a needed wake-up call. They give me the chance to extend my morning consciousness into the rest of my day’s activities.

Soon the sun will rest a little longer before rising to meet me but there’s always time – time to remember to live consciously in the months before May and after August by:

• Take conscious control of the decisions and choices you make.
• Be fully present in every moment. If you are working – work intentionally. If you are loving – love deliberately, and if you are praying – pray passionately.
• Be good to your body. Give it rest and nourishment. Treat it like you do your partner, child or best friend.
• Add self-reflection to your daily routine. Find five minutes each day to consider you. Are you living according to your purpose? Are you living with passion? Are you being more than doing?
• Live with a forgiving heart. Forgive yourself and others. Leave yesterday in the past and embrace the here and now with an open heart.
• Walk by faith. Trust what you can’t always see and believe there’s a plan for your life greater than you can imagine.
• Reflect on how you spend your time. How much time do you spend playing app games or watching TV? How much time do you spend in meaningful conversations? Determine if you are using your time wisely and then plan how you want to spend your time tomorrow.
• Be positive. See the value in all things and seize the opportunities to grow and learn from every situation – the good ones, and the bad.

Sometimes the simple path to living consciously begins when you challenge your routine with things that awaken your senses, spirit, and soul with delightful vigor.

There are still two more months for morning runs before the treadmill takes back over. Along with soaking up every delicious second, I will also begin paying attention to how I can extend this time to other areas of my life and keep the consciousness flowing all year long.

What is A Simple Path?

This post is in A Simple Path, a series of short pieces inspired by my own life experiences. Each post is a simple path to experiencing something wonderful: maybe seeing life from a different perspective, or celebrating its beauty.

The Frick Collection announced the launch of a new mobile app this week, with which “[w]orks of art can be saved as favorites to enjoy offline or share via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+,” according to the museum. The app also provides audio tours to museum visitors. The Frick, a wonderfully staid building that houses the collection of a late-19th-century industrialist, also has Wi-Fi access, as my press release boasts.