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Show Wednesday, October 21, 18, THE DAILY HLRALD, Provo, Uuh Page C5 After a miserable day, youngster thankful for the thing that really counts The day had not been especially pleasant for Jonathan. First, there was the incident at the bus stop some hurtful words from a little girl he thought was his friend. Then there was the incident at the 1( school playground a run-irt,with a bully two years older and a lot bigger. And then there was the incident just ...before bedtime a little thing turned into a big thing by an n e father. ornery, . Uh, that would be me. At the end of the day unpleasant though it was Jon and I knelt together by his bed to say prayers. His voice sounded weary, not just tired, as he began the usual litany of thanks: Thank you for my t i . over-reactiv- Mom and Dad," thank you for my brother and sisters," "thank you for my friends," "thank you for our house." specific things because, let's be SPEAK VALUE THEN HE slipped in something new for which to be thankful: Thank you for nice." He paused. Thank you for nice"? Nice what? Nice family? Nice dinner? Nice pants? Or maybe I misunderstood. Since he doesn't like potatoes, maybe he was saying "thank you for rice." Or since his room is decorated with a Mickey Mouse theme, maybe it was "thank you for mice." Or since he usually falls asleep listening to a classic rock radio station, maybe it was "thank you for "ice" you know, like in "ice, ice baby." I was beginning to think couldn't help but be impressed with the change in his attitude. He didn't seem to be quite as weary as he was before. In fact, he seemed honest, he didn't have much for which to be specifically thankful that day. But instead of being thankless, he was generally grateful. OK, so maybe the day was pretty miserable for him he was grateful for the general notion of "nice." Although he had at various times in the day felt threatened and insecure, he was grateful to know that there is still such a thing as "safe." And even though several people had including his father been rude to him, he was grateful to know that "not rude" was a possibility. (9 Joseph Walker Jon was just goofing around with his prayers again, and I was about to scold him when he continued: Thank you for not rude." And then: Thank you for safe." Suddenly I understood. Jon wasn't expressing thanks for calm. Peaceful. And hopeful for a better day in the morning. Which, I'm happy to report, it was. I don't know for sure if his prayer had anything to do with the improvements in his life the next day. But his attitude certainly did. He didn't go to the bus stop with a chip on his shoulder, looking for a chance to get back at the little girl who had been mean to him. He went looking for "nice," and he found it just like he found "not rude" on the playground and "safe" at heme. It seems to me that at age 7 I WAS touched by the sweetness of his prayer. And when we got off our knees, I Jon has learned one of the " most important lessons we can ever learn: that life is pretty much what we make of it. We're all going to have to swallow a dose of unpleasantness from time to time. There isn't any way to avoid it, as far as I can tell. But we don't have to allow unpleasantness to make our lives ... you know ... unpleasant. Although adversity can be so painful that it blinds us to life's kinder, gentler possibilities, sometimes it's enough just to know that somewhere out there, there is happiness. And hope. And peace. And nice. Lots of nice. Joseph Walker is a nationalsyndicated columnist who lives in American Fork. ly Belgian fashion hottest ticket in Paris yy f" , ' T By HOLLY HANSON Knighl Riddcr Newspapers PARIS Paris is the most international of fashion cities, and the proof is in the international array of designers who show their collections here. The schedule for the spring 1999 " collections Paris includes in Brits, Japanese, Chinese, Spaniards, Turks, Italians, at least one Australian, a handful of French, and Belgians lots of Belgians. As guests entered the hall for the spring fashion show staged by Dries Van Noten, perhaps the best known of the Belgian designers, they were handed a small loose-lea- f booklet titled "Chrysler's Guide to Belgian Fashion in Paris." (And yes, it's THAT Americans, Chrysler.) Inside is a list of 23 Belgian designers with Paris connections, 13 of whom are mounting runway shows or showroom presentations during Paris' fashion week, which continues through Tuesday. Because the Paris schedule includes fewer than 100 shows and is because small a Belgium especially that's a huge representacountry tion. f MARKO MADKIKAS Knighi Kidder A model wears the latest in Spring style from Mugler. Designer footwear: shoo-i- n as sculpture ml form and philosophical aesthetic leading the way into the mil- By JACKIE WHITE Knighl Ridder Newspaper!. The list includes established designers such as Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, as well as talented newcomers such as Olivier Theyskens, Veronique Branquinho and Josephus Thimister. They are turning Belgian fashion into Paris' hottest ticket. That was certainly true of the Demeulemeester show, held in a seedy theater in Paris' notorious Pigalle district. The place was stifling hot, and so jammed that the numerous standees could barely keep their feet off the runway. What they saw was signature Demeulemeester. There was the usual soundtrack by Patti Smith, Demeulemeester's inspiration, and an intriguing parade of asymmetrical garments in the starkest shades of black and white. -- fashionable most The footwear has moved into the realm of modern artistic design. There is a sculptural quality to many of the designer shoes. Consider the dramatic silhouettes of set-iheels, molded bases and oblique toes that actually follow the shape of the foot. It's a high-profil- e n 9 Knighl-Ridde- specialty store, runs her hand across the top of a slanted front. "Next season almost every shoe will have this toe," she f0 s In her office at the Museum in Kansas City, Mo., Jan Schall, associate curator for modern and contemporary art, examines the shoe. She holds Prada's gray and red Mary Jane sandal, turns it front to back and compares it to the powerful color blocking of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian. d Last Chance to yet in on our incredible 7 g . ground. Veronique Branquinho. well-place- d well-tailore- d d floor-sweepin- g could walk more than six miles in an hour, without pounding her joints to a pulp. Kortge, now 56, of is the author of The Spirited Walker" (HarperSanFrancisco, $15). She was in town last week, so naturally we took a fitness walk. Why, I asked, should I buy your book? I already know how to walk and so does my niece, Megan, who just turned 2. "Your niece doesn't need it," said Kortge. "She's not afraid to fall down and take risks. Her walking is playful, creative. It involves curiosity, exploration and connection." There is walking and there is "spirited" walking, Kortge Newspapers ) Kortge (pronounced is former newspaper features writer who lives in Eugene, Ore. An admitted klutz who was always athletically she became challenged, acquainted with fitness walking while reporting a story 10 years ago. That led to an interest in racewalking, which became an obsession that culminated in her winning medals in national competition and getting ranked in the top five in her masters age group. In her prime, she KOR-chee- Kansas City Star mm explained. The former is a mundane practical activity mm i J id f " that involves getting from Point A to Point B. The latter involves enlisting the body, enchanted by the transcendental motion and rhythm of conscious walking, to purge the mind and soothe the soul. Spirited walking is vigorous, energetic and challenging enough that your heart pounds, your muscles gripe and you break a sweat. As we strode up the parkway, Kortge gave me a demo, motoring off, arms pumping, hips swiveling, at a pace that compelled me to run to keep up. Spirited walking also means traveling, as Kortge puts it, "from sole to soul" by walking in a way that's focused, mindful, in and of the moment. 8 Acres of Cars & Trucks 10,000 Sft. Showroom 36 Service Bay's 2 QuickLube Lanes fS Qgffl -- 1400 S. Sandhill Rd. g ruffle-trimme- Kortge's life. Footwear these days not only looks good on a person, but on display as well. Some shoes have moved into the realm of modern artistic design that can bring up reminders of architecture or classic painters. r mi body-huggin- Veronique Branquinho mounted a blessedly simple presentation, needing only a few spotlights to show off her quiet, clothes. The circus took place at the entryway of the show, where guests Olivier Theyskens. Newcomer had to fight their way through a narOlivier Theyskens did his best to row gate and a cadre of guards. prove himself one tough, edgy individThe for problem? Publicists ual. He staged his show in a bleak Branquinho had invited every fashion industrial space. He lined the runway journalist and retail buyer in Paris to with stark fluorescent bulbs, turned attend, and a lot more of them showed up blasting music and added blinding up than expected. The show was spotlights. He styled the models' hair delayed for more than an hour while so that it covered their faces like stressed-ou- t representatives for masks. Branquinho tried to sort out the mess. But forget all of that. And forget Eventually, the lights dimmed and the plunging gray vest that Branquinho sent out a dignified Theyskens designed for Madonna to parade of austere clothes in black, wear to the Academy Awards this gray and white. The opening group year. It wasn't his best work. Instead, was deceptively sweet: focus on Theyskens' tailoring skills, white blouses paired with black skirts. Only the flat black his way with color and his determination to offer something different. shoes, the lanky hair and the models' thin gray lines painted Here is a designer who can be makeup sweet and severe, a skill he shares across their faces from ear to ear with many of his Belgian colleagues. suggested another mood. it's fair to say, Scott Carolynn Walking, Nelson-Atkin- TALIS BERGMAMS r changed says. MOVING SALE! Cnvno ttf fift lie tnr aft the excitement! low-slun- g By ART CAREY Susy Damon, the shoe buyer for Halls, a Kansas City, Mo., two-tone- , Theyskens can bring on a black jacket, square at the shoulder and narrow at the hip. He can twirl out a bright red blouse and a jaunty full skirt. He can cut a dress from tough, chocolate brown leather, and a coolly sexy one from black chiffon with a handkerchief hem. Just when you think you've got him all figured out, he changes the game. With so much talent, Theyskens doesn't need to muck things up with headache-inducinlighting effects and hideous garments such as a black leather jacket with a hood covering the face or a tan bodysuit festooned with hair. ,J Next time, let's skip the theatrics and see these creative, well made clothes without the circus in the backwool Author an advocate of spirited walking lennium. Maybe you're not yet spotlighting your shoes on a shelf in your front hall, hauling them off to auctions, donating them to museums for a tax deduction or shopping from museum catalogs, but the idea is not too far afield. Demeulemeester has long played around with clothes that wrap and tie, and here she had a field day, crafting long, white dresses that wrapped around the body in a spiral. She layered little white camisoles over one another, pairing them with pants and a new version of the shoulder bag, a flat purse decorated with the back and side pockets of a pair of mens' pants. There were white dresses with lengths of fabric wound around the neck and shoulders, giving the look of a cowl neckline gone awry. Some also had feathers sprouting from the shoulders. There was a vague sense of Greek and Roman statuary in the drape of the clothing, a theme that also appeared on some runways in Milan. Despite all the wrapping and layering, the clothes had an almost weightless look, thanks to the airy materials. But the garments did raise one important question: Are the clothes so complicated in their wrapping that a woman can't get dressed in them by herself? We'll know early next year, when the clothes hit the stores. Orem, UT. (Just off -1 3734060 5 & University Parkway) ? |