Spine. Having a spine. Standing up for oneself.
Having just bailed on a volunteer commitment that was way bigger than expected, I am having to rest in the awareness that I am better off suffering temporary negative judgment than jostling a set of tasks that I really really don’t want to perform. Oh well.
C. came and went last week. We hardly saw him. As it should be. As it should be. Meanwhile, my younger son is making prom arrangements. As the light lingers well past dinner time, the season reminds us all of the inescapable passage of time. Sometimes we meet the changes with a glad heart. Spring is comin’!
Scrubbed a wall and floor in the studio on Monday. Dead mouse stink is a great motivator. (Product note: I have fallen in love with orange-scented oils to clean wood). Little fella below was discovered around this time last year.
The space is beginning to feel welcoming. Open. I burned sandalwood. I moved stuff around. At this point I am not getting rid of clutter so much as consolidating it.
Lastly, I bought one of Saskia’s beautiful pieces (more pix soon). Just look at it! It couldn’t please me more. It feels important to recognize the economies of happiness. It’s different for everyone. My recent rather pedestrian conclusion is that such domestic equations rely on more than dollars and cents to come out properly.
Is it an indulgence for someone confronting TWO college tuitions this year to buy a piece of hand-worked art? Perhaps. Perhaps. But when I consider how much pleasure it gives me, the calculation comes out with a different answer — absolutely worth it; a bargain.
Reminds me of a Nicole Hollander cartoon from ages ago, where her character, Sylvia, asks, “What is a good hair cut worth?” The answers were:
a) three months of therapy; or
b) six months of therapy.
And check out the package Saskia used to ship my quilt from Holland. And, I’m not even showing you the handmade paper it was wrapped in, or the lovely laminated tag enclosed. Delight! And more delight!
If you are not familiar with Saskia’s work, you are in for a treat. Her blog, Tales from the Birdhut, is listed on my sidebar under her name.
(And by the way? That cool skull block print in one of the studio shots was a freebie (!!yes!!) by Brenda Beerhurst, inserted in a package when I bought a print of a banana bike from Rick Beerhurst a few years back).
I so agree with you a hand made piece of work gives a lifetime of pleasure, so much more than its money worth. This is a beautiful piece I love Saskia’s work. Love your collections as well.
love your whale bone, stone & especially that indigo dyed cord wrapped around the jar
the cloth from Saskia is a treasure
Buying a work of art is a really wonderful experience. How exciting! I checked out her blog for the first time. A kindred spirit!
Trading something of yours for something of someone else’s you love is also great. Having someone give you a work of art is maybe the best. I always think of that adage (?) “psychotherapy doesn’t work unless you pay for it”, right? why IS that? and your post of collected treasures in combination with a purchased treasure makes me think more broadly, as always.
So good, all of this. Self care — good for you! xo
self-care and treasures can go together – esp if you figure out what makes your heart sing and fits in the budget! You’re right Deb that value of handmade goods often super-exceeds the dollars! Mag – maybe we can barter somethings in near future? Mo – the thread is yours if you email me your address (Lo, I know I should have it but I don’t).
So happy you too get to enjoy Saskia’s amazing work. I just recently hung my special pieces from my online friends. I see them every night when I sit on the couch and it brings me more pleasure than I can say. That tray of treasures is wonderful!!
ha! i was just thinking to ask you about that skull print!
saskia is a never ending source of bewilderment and delight! i can spend hours enjoying her creativity and think only moments have passed…
Agree on Saskia — she is the real deal.
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oh wow, I’m blushing now; how come I missed this post?! anyway it’s always nice to read positive thoughts, be they directed to self or to others;
and re your thoughts on saying No to unwanted tasks, I totally agree (yay to nay); it is as you have described in other posts: if you stop and listen to self, you feel you do or don’t want to do something, it’s following up on this feeling and leaving other people’s judgments where they belong, with them, that can be tough
but we grow and become better at it, I think and hope
thanks for this post Dee, not just ‘cos there was so much of me in it…..I am very happy this particular piece is in your house
I’m hoping that what Oprah and others say is true — that as we age it becomes easier and easier to not give a shit what other people think about us.
not to worry about missing the post, Saskia — there is so much to read every day/week and only so much time to do it. I should have sent you an email so you’d see it. Your Moon/Tree piece (I forget its title?) has been on the wall now for almost two seasons and I still love it as much as the day I hung it up!