happy

Hello, all!
 

I feel just like her.

She's a gift from my dear friend Catherine, a.k.a. Junker Jane, and she's made my whole week.  A scary ol' used up circus clown--brilliant for my life, and many others, these days.

Because, listen:  being a preschool teacher is no picnic.  In the past month, past month, I tell you, I've had bronchitis, pink-eye in both eyes (flippin' twice) and now, a stomach flu that would be enough to dampen the spirits of Mother Teresa.  And this was all with two weeks off for Christmas!  It ain't for the faint-of-heart, by any means.

However.  I am not down-hearted.  In large part due to this awesome print from Mary Kate McDevitt, the quote of which I try to keep in mind at all times (without being annoying, of course):

I'm sure you've seen it before, in fact it's even been on my teeny weeny little blog before, but not in my own house.  I just finally purchased it after admiring it for a long time.  (I called it a birthday gift to myself.  How many times can one get away with that, I wonder?)  I love Mary Kate's work, and the general positive vibe it has, but in addition to that, I love this quote, and it's stuck with me ever since I first read it a few years ago.

Because it's TRUE.

I know, go figure?!  We are as happy as we make up our minds to be.  Kinda blew my mind.  The first time I read that, I would totally have discounted it all together as 1990s new age balony if it hadn't been a quote from the incredibly smart, and very down-to-earth, Abraham Lincoln.  Just thrown it right out the window.  But he's got chops, Mr. Lincoln does:  faced his demons, dealt with some pretty tough stuff, stayed the course.  I had to rethink.

If we are as happy as we make up our minds to be, that means something very scary to most of us:  we can't blame anyone else, or anything else, for who we are or how we treat each other.  It's on you.  No running, no pointing fingers, no citing statistics or economic disasters.  No anger at the person who "betrayed" you or made a mistake the results of which you live with every day.  No anger at your mom or dad, or even your younger self.  No anger.  No blaming.  No living in the past.

Hmmm, is that the key?  Living in the past?  It will kill every meager spark of joy you are offered by this world, if you let it.  I'm reading a book which has opened my eyes to just this:  how much time do we spend every day thinking about the past, re-crucifying our friends and loved ones over and over for past deeds, putting ourselves and them right back in that same place of hurt and anger over and over again?  If you really think about it, I am convinced it is almost 100% of the time.  After all, that is what we bring to the table, metaphorically speaking, when we see someone we know, isn't it?  What they said to us last time we saw them, what we think they did to hurt us.  We carry it along, and turn those memories into who we think they are.  But it's not them.  They are there in front of you, just as ready as we are to try again, to start anew, if we let them.  It's a hard lesson.  But I believe it's a pretty vital part of living a happy life.  And I'm working on it, every day.

The hardest ones to do this with, of course, are those we know best.  Family.  Oh, how much garbage we drag around when dealing with family.  But if you realize that they didn't really hurt you, they can never really hurt you, you can let it go, and move on.  Release it all, and let love fill the space the hurt left behind.  So hard.  I'm not there, but I can at least see that it's possible, like a landscape emerging from a fog.  It's a long way off, but I'm sailing in the right direction, and that ain't nothing.

Probably not what Abe was talking about, all this.  But what he was saying applies:  it's up to you, and me, to be happy.  Or "Be the change you wish to see in the world," which although now rather cliche, I wear on a ring on my right hand, every day.  (Other quotes that I love along these lines by Mahatma Gandhi are here.  I need to read lots more about him, I think.) 

Anyway, I'm a happy gal.  I really am.  Hope you are, too.

Cheers!

xoxox. 

pilgrimage

In a departure from years past, this year, I actually used a gift card that I received as a Christmas gift for myself, and not my kids.  I'm no martyr or anything, but the last few years were somewhat, shall we say, lean, and I used any giftcards I received for them and not myself, and was glad to do it.  But this year, it was all about me, baby.  And this book is what I purchased:

It's a collection of touchingly intimate photos (of course) that Annie Leibovitz took at various homes of famous dead people around the world, including some of their personal affects.  There's an essay, too, about Ms. Leibovitz' personal reasons for making such a journey, but the photographs speak for themselves--really amazing shots that make me want to just quietly drink them in: 

 There's Georgia O'Keeffe's collection of handmade pastels...

 ...and the gloves Abraham Lincoln had in his pocket the night he was shot...

 ...and Elvis Presley's mother's room in his Mississippi birthplace...

 ...and Virginia Woolf's bedroom at Monk's House...

 ...and Eleanor Roosevelt's sleeping porch at Val-Kill...

 ...and Emily Dickinson's intricately detailed dress, worn in her final days when she saw nobody but her own sister...

...and Annie Oakley's shooting target from one of her shows (this heart is in reality only 1" by 1.5"--she was a pretty good shot)...

...and Bronson Alcott's journal on which he traced his daughter Louisa's little hand.

And there's much, much more.  What is so fascinating to me is that I, like a lot of folks, I think, often assume that people who have done amazing things in this world must have come from amazing places.  They must have had some kind of extra magic to their lives which allowed them to do amazing things--fight for human rights, make great art, become a ground-breaking entertainer against all odds--but, no.  They came from places just like us, and had humble possessions just like us.  Shocking, really. 

No magic.  Just the human heart, which is, after all, more powerful than any other force in the world.

Have a wonderful week, all.  Cheers!

xoxox.

mister finch

How lovely to find a man that sews, and such beauty!

His profile reads: 

"I'm 36 and live in Leeds in Yorkshire, not too far from the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, with 3 crazy cats.  I actually have no formal training in anything I make, and apart from a short art course I did many years ago Ive learnt all I know myself.  Ive tried many areas creatively over the years and now I find myself sewing, which I adore.  When I'm not making things (which isn't that often) I love to read and watch old movies. I collect miniature metal chairs and love to hoard things in glass jars.  I"ve called my business Mister Finch so its clear from the start that I'm a man and one that sews. We are a bit thin on the ground but we are out there!"

I like him a lot.

xoxox.

bellissima!

Was just reading a new-to-me blog, Bellissima Kids (I don't get "out" much), and found some fantastic stuff.  As my blog-reading time is extremely limited these days, it's good to have some go-to blogs that will fill you in with great stuff, minus fluff...Bellissima Kids is like that for me.  Anyway, you probably already know about these finds, but just in case you do not (and to show you how cool BK is), here:

These amazingly whimsical images from Lieschen Muller are so fantastic!  I wish these cats were available as prints, I would love to put them in Sofie's room.  See lots more here at Lieschen's blog and shop.

This wallpaper from mini moderns, awesomely named "Pet Sounds" (go Beach Boys!) which as Jeanne says has a certain folky-Russian quality (sign me up!) is super.  I can't afford the wallpaper, but mini moderns has the same pattern in a mug, which I can afford.  Yay!

This photo, which Jeanne took herself, is of the John Derian store in the East Village of NYC, where she lives.  Now, how else would I get to see that?  So cool.  If I ever get to New York, and I suppose it's in the realm of possibility now that we're on the East Coast, I will go to this store.  And I'll do all the touristy stuff and cultural stuff, too, but I will also get to this store.

Is that enough to get you to click on over to Bellissima Kids?  I hope so.  There's lots more to see.

Cheers!  (And sorry about all the parentheses in this post.  I'm too exhausted to try to write it in such a way as to eliminate them.  Just. Too. Tired...But you know I love you.)

xoxox.

thanks-giving

Hi there, sweet friends...

Just want to take this opportunity to thank you sincerely for all your comments and encouragement and emotional support over the past couple of years.  I know this isn't the fanciest or the coolest or the most-often-updated blog, or even very current, if it comes to that.  Now that I'm a mom working both outside and inside the home, it's not as easy to blog as it once was.  But I hang in there, because I like writing to you. 

I told a dear friend of mine a while back that I have tried journalling recently (and many times in the past)-- just to get my thoughts out--but frankly, I get very weary of the sound of my own voice.  Somehow with a blog, it works better for me, because I feel as though I'm talking to you, and that makes a difference, somehow.  My sweet aunt that lives in another state wrote and told me that she had checked my blog from time to time, but that she felt a bit "voyeuristic" in doing so...Yikes!  That threw me a bit.  I'm not trying to be an exhibitionist at all, and I hope it doesn't seem that way to you.  And I know that I've shared a bunch of stuff that other people wouldn't have shared.  But I think if we were all more honest with each other about our struggles, the world would be a much gentler place.  Also, I just like to throw stuff out there and see what makes sense to any of you.  I hope that's okay.  I'm pretty sure it is.  Two consenting adults, and all.

Anyway, I am terrible about replying to comments (what a shocker), but I read each and every one with a full heart and a huge smile on my face, so thank you, if you have ever taken the time to leave a comment here.  It's not gone unappreciated, by any means.

Hey, look!  It's a new year!  The last one was pretty good to me and mine, and I hope to yours, too.  May 2012 bless you all!

xoxox.

good morning!

Golly, where have I been?  I just found the work of Kelsey Garrity-Riley (via where the lovely things are), and I've fallen hard.  Not only does she illustrate in a manner that makes me swoon, but look at the dolls!

I think I might just die.  That face, those little legs!  Head on over to her blog and etsy shop for lots more loveliness.  I mean, really. 

Later, 'gators.

xoxox.

love it, every bit

Oh, what fun!  Sweet, sweet Deb of Kickcan & Conkers, one of the best blogs around for all manner of wonderful, stylish and relevant things for kids (and me) has opened her shop!  Just a few of the wonderful finds over there at the moment:

Love it, every bit!  I've gravitated to the red and black, of course (with a kitty thrown in for good measure), but there's lots to see, and Deb keeps it updated daily.  Wonderful finds from all over Europe and beyond--quite a treat, if you ask me!

Happy window shopping, sweet friends.

xoxox.