O.M.G.! What Was That?!?: February Moments of Calm and Chaos

February is the month of quiet surprises.

Just when you think life is calm, something small and ridiculous sneaks up and makes your heart do that involuntary jump. You know the feeling: the floorboard creaks, a door rattles, or maybe it’s just your own thoughts echoing way too loudly. And suddenly you’re mid-OMG.

O.M.G! What Was THAT?!? Painting of a shocked monk.

February’s monk knows this feeling all too well. One second, he’s sitting in perfect, zen-like calm, eyes closed, chest rising and falling like a metronome. The next, his wide eyes snap open, shoulders tense, heart doing somersaults, and he’s wondering if he should call the police or just hide under the nearest cushion. This startled monk is shock incarnate, caught between deep meditation and full-on panic, the perfect portrait of human overreaction. He might even mutter under his breath, “Really? Now?”

What you cannot tell from the painting is that this monk jumped at the slightest noise. A soft jingle from a meditation bell, meant to signal mindfulness, instantly became the culprit of a sudden jolt, sending him from calm to wide-eyed shock in an instant. Sometimes it was a bird outside, sometimes the wind, sometimes just a creaking floorboard, but to him every small sound was a full-on existential event.

This monk has spent years mastering calm. He can meditate for hours without a twitch. But the instant something unexpected happens, he is immediately trapped in a private horror film starring him as the terrified protagonist. Was it the wind? A ghost? Did he leave the stove on again? His brain runs every possible scenario at top speed while his body looks like it’s about to flee the country. And yes, he may give the bell a glare like it personally offended him.

And then, like a pro, he manages to settle back down. He reminds himself that fear is usually just a passing visitor, that the floorboard was not plotting against him, and yes, the stove is off. But do not be fooled. Inside, his thoughts are still firing off little OMG moments, each one more dramatic than the last. Sometimes he even practices counting to ten, not for calm, but just to make the terror feel official.

Even in his shock, he embodies patience and self-compassion. He knows life’s surprises come in all sizes, and sometimes the best response is to breathe, observe, and let it pass, ready to do it all over again tomorrow. He might also grumble quietly about how the universe has a very poor sense of timing.

February’s monk is the embodiment of startled serenity. His eyes are wide, shoulders tense, and every muscle seems ready to leap from meditation to full panic in an instant. He looks like he just heard the softest creak and is convinced it is either a ghost, a squirrel, or the universe mocking him. There is something absurdly human in that moment—calm meets chaos, mindfulness collides with sheer disbelief. He is equal parts sage and dramatist, perfectly balanced on the edge of serene enlightenment and OMG, is that a sound?

Now it’s your turn. Take a moment to remember a time something tiny completely startled you—a dropped spoon, a squeaky floorboard, a whisper in the hall. Capture it however you like. Sketch it, write about it, or just sit with that instant of shock and exaggerate it. Think about what your own “OMG!” face looks like and how quickly calm can collapse into chaos. Let that split-second surprise inspire something playful, absurd, or quietly dramatic in your own creative way.

I painted this monk to capture that perfectly human moment, the instant calm meets chaos in a way that is both absurd and painfully relatable. His wide eyes, tense shoulders, and that subtle air of disbelief came naturally once I remembered all the times I have jumped at my own shadow.

If February is about startled moments, just wait for March. It is the month of cosmic surprises, the kind that makes you stop, blink, and whisper, “Wait… what just happened?”

Thanks for reading The 3rd Flamingo, a blog for art lovers, creative wanderers, and anyone who has ever leapt at a sound that turned out to be nothing.