apple-patterned notebooks.
w.s. merwin.
collections at 3191.
delicate silver jewelry from elephantine.
rainbow-colored recycled leather journals from kate's paperie.
footed mug from back creek pottery.
people opening doors for each other at the cafe.
bicycles.
scottish shortbread.
getting a few photos printed.
in the past two weeks or so i have rearranged a good portion of my apartment, planted seeds for the garden, invested in herb plants for my balcony, started a new writing notebook, and rescued some branches from the park to decorate the living room. today, i'm going to take the first steps to have a few of my photos printed so that i can work on framing them and finding them a venue. why not, right?
the other day i wrote a really long, totally incoherent and rambling journal entry about struggling to justify my enjoyment of pretty things and making them, because (1) they are things, (2) some of them are dubious in origin, and (3) shouldn't i be simplifying and de-cluttering, rather than collecting more things?
i know that i am prone to clinging to things... objects that i bring home because they are pretty (weeds from the ditch, unusually shaped jars, yet another colorful mug); old items of clothing or paper that i don't really use, but have some memory associated with them; piles of magazines that i keep on hand for "inspiration," but don't do much more with. i have so many little collections hanging around. erik regularly reminds me that every time he clears a space around the house, i tend to fill it with something. this is distressing for his clutter-hating soul, and i feel guilty when my stuff starts sprawling all over the place, leaving him (and myself) very little clear space in which to breathe.
i think that i hang on to these little bits of prettiness because i am as equally prone to losing sight of them, as i am prone to bring them into my cluttered house. i don't know if this is a reasonable justification or not, but i'm going to stick with it for a bit. i do a lot of reading and thinking about issues that are scary and overwhelming--global warming, poverty, insecurity of food systems, my own little future. so i surround myself with pretty little things that remind me why i should keep caring. these are bits of the world that are worth keeping around: daffodils and pretty paper to send notes on, cake pans to bake things and thermoses to keep things warm, thoughts and photos that can point out what i find beautiful in the world, books to share with friends.
some things are worth hanging on to, but the recent post on 3191 encouraged me not to cling to my collections too much. it's probably time to take down the thistles and other dried weeds i had in my winter window, and embrace flowers and tins cans planted with lettuce for the spring. i don't need to save every piece of paper i ever wrote anything on, ever. i can shrink my dishes collections to just the ones i use regularly. i can get rid of those extra pairs of shoes and shirts that don't quite fit anymore. not only is it simplifying, it is making room for newer and better things that reflect how i feel right now, rather than three months ago. healthier, yes?
and anything that makes more room for sunshine and inspiration is good.
b
ps> here are a few of the pictures i'm having printed. what do you think?
"edges"
"decay"
"angled"
"outlook"
"opal"
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