Meeting Jane Seymour

Yesterday I had a strange encounter of a surreal kind when I had the pleasure of not only meeting a well known celebrity, but meeting someone who was genuinely nice (and of course absolutely beautiful). Actress Jane Seymour was at Wentworth Gallery in Bethesda at an event showcasing her artworks. I bypassed the opportunity (stupidly) to get my picture taken with her and instead asked her when she started painting. She told me it was 18 years ago during a very hard time in her life--horrible divorce, hit bottom, had nothing. She shared the details, but you get the picture. Her mother, a concentration camp survivor, told her to stop wallowing and "get out of her own head" and do something--for somebody else. Jane gave what little she had left to a children's charity and in return was offered art lessons. She started painting seriously and found a new passion. Her paintings range from bold florals to traditional scenes to whimsical takes on her "open heart" logo. I was inspired not only by her openness and her story, but also by her mother's advice to "get out of your head and do something." I thought about it all day in fact and contemplated the strangeness of rare but fortuitous chance meetings.