On this morning I was paying particular attention to the things in my house. I see that each object is here because I/we chose to bring it here. Each object imported involved decision-making, time, and energy as well as financial expenditure. I have invested quite a lot of energy and attention in making these things a part of my life! It occurred to me that the surroundings we create for ourselves– our personal landscape– does have something to say about us, and it tells us who we are over and over again, influencing how we move, what we think about, and who we tell ourselves we are.
Side Street Espresso is homey, serene, and puts me into “slow time” ( a term borrowed from Waverly Fitzgerald in her book Slow Time: Recovering the Natural Rhythm of Life). I settled into the easy atmosphere and let it do its work on me. The comments on the hutch were made by some people who were there for part of the time I was drawing. The clock with the crucifix on top is pink, and is one item that has always captured my attention.
Every once in a while I get a fleeting taste of the reality that “things ARE alive.” It is a palpably different state than the one I usually live in. It is an astonishing and enlivening fruit of this point of focus!
I wanted to draw something that represented my ancestors. I settled on Grandma’s sewing bucket. It has been part of my life ever since I can remember. Growing up in York, PA, I spent a lot of time at Grandma’s house. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without Grandma and Grandpa. Grandma hemmed all of my dresses. This brass bucket with the owl pincushion was always beside her as she kneeled on the floor. I followed her instructions to pivot as she pinned up the hems in my dresses. I remember how she soothed me when I was sick by rubbing my stomach in a circular motion and saying, “Maw, maw, maw…” over and over again. Yes, it is true for me that the love lives on. I am grateful to have this object to remember her by– and to my Aunt Karen for allowing me to have it at my house, so far away from my family in York and other spots around the country.
I wanted to draw something that represented a higher dimension as my second drawing. The brass statue of Krishna playing the flute sits on my kitchen windowsill. The statue truly seems alive to me, symbolizing as it does the sublime reality that music can convey. It reminds me of Ben playing the Irish flute, which never fails to lighten my spirit. The quote inspires me to continue in my attempts to establish my awareness in something beyond my own small interests; it also reminds me of my indebtedness to those who have gone before me. Which leads to the next drawing…
I chose the offering vessels as my first drawing because they convey devotion to the Source of All, which has been described also as the light and love that shines in everyone’s heart.
