how’d your holidays go? fun and good cheer? glad they’re over? wish they were still here? waxing nostalgic about how great it was when you were a kid but now it’s just a load of bunk? good tidings? despise the obligation of it all? i hear ya.
it’s true…not all that glitters is really glitter or gold or mica flakes, but you can certainly make things shine in your own way from now on.
2009 was a rough year for a lot of folks. unemployment is at an all time high, the economy has tanked, homelessness is right around the corner for many, and many homeless are already on street corners. during different and difficult times like these, holidays can be tough on some and it can be rough trying to remain optimistic. having the luxury of being in a warm, comfy studio and covered in glitter on a daily basis certainly helps, but it gets me to pondering.
yes, 2009 was different for a lot of people for a lot of different reasons, and the holidays brought with them a new feeling. a feeling of what is really important, of what brings us back to ourselves and to our loved ones. many have recognized and rid themselves of the hustle bustle of it all, finally realizing (some out of sheer necessity!) that the holidays are not about lavishing others with expensive or luxurious gifts, or about running from household to household just to make your presence known because you’ve got a nagging feeling of obligation to do so.
to those who have rid themselves this year of the drama or deadlines or unnecessary self-imposed guilt and surrounded themselves with beauty and that which makes them happiest, to those who have chosen to give gifts of a smile or a carefully baked batch of cookies or a bunch of posies from your garden or a handmade craft…you get it. good job. keep it up.
as for me, i’m truly blessed. i love madly and am loved madly. i can see and hear and touch and feel and walk and eat and enjoy the moon and wind and rain on my face. my fingers can type and make french knots. i have a few really good friends that can count on me and that i can count on. i’ve got a bunch of glitter and felt and paint and thread and fabric and it’s all organized. i’ve got a lovely tree outside my front door.
blessings come in all forms.
for artsy folks who sew or paint or otherwise craft, we continually find this blessed feeling and derive rich meaning from the process of our work…in the joy of finding and working with sensual, natural materials that deeply connect us to ancient art forms.
for me, this is what feels most real during the holiday season and throughout the year. as a once seemingly stable country and world and reality crumbles all around me day by day, bit by bit, this is what keeps me and glitter soup studio humming.
when you’re up, it’s a long way down.
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