Did Its



It seems like forever since I was a Brownie leader. We had so many good times in that troop including the time we were able to attend a sleep over at the Sacramento Zoo. The other day, I remembered something one of those Brownies asked me.

 Molly was one of my more precocious troop members and smart as a whip. 

During our regular meetings we worked on earning badges, as most troops do. Brownie badges are called "try-its". After completing several activities in one area, they earn their try-it for that subject. One meeting, after going over where we were in getting to our next little embroidered triangle to add to their vest, Molly came up to me and sort of leaned in;

She looked up at me and said, "Megan, I think it is neat that we get get try-its and all, but.. when do we get our did-its?" 

Trying new things is a healthy part of life, but, our accomplishments, the did-its, are what we hang our hats on. I'm not saying this is the most perfect of attitudes, because the trials are where the strength comes from to get to where you may be headed.

But, who doesn't want to shout from the rooftops; "I did it!!!!"?

And wouldn't it be lovely to have someone step in and hand you a badge for it?

In February, I tried something new. I loaded up my van and drove 1700 miles to a friend's house in Oklahoma. A friend I had not seen in about sixteen years. She was being deployed and I agreed to house sit for her while she was overseas. I wanted to try living by myself for a bit. I never had.

I did it!

 Since my last post, I have put most of what I own into storage, put my house on the market, and moved from California to Oklahoma to start the next phase of my life. A phase that includes two grown daughters, who are both out on their own now, and a recent separation (amicable, but still a bit heartbreaking). A phase that leaves me responsible for me, and only me, for the first time since I was nineteen. I'll admit I am a bit lost right now. Excited, yes, but still so, so anxious about the future and where I am heading.  

And I see something happening in my designs.

I find I am drawn to making pieces that have bold, colorful exteriors. Lots of texture and color like these cuffs,

A brave front, so to speak.

Yet on the inside, I have been placing personal messages of strength and hope.

Reassurance. 

That's how I do it. One try-it at a time. Don't we all?

I think I am going to make myself a Brownie badge.

Touch

Guess what I am up to?

The thing about packing to move is you are forced to actually touch, at least once, everything you own. Some items may not have been touched or thought of for years. You may have forgotten you even had such things as a pillowcase full of mismatched socks, from when your kids were little, pushed into the back of the closet. You find it and remember setting it in there "in case you found a use for them".

Mine was last pulled out the year my youngest was thirteen and the two of us brilliantly thought the tops of child sized tube socks would be the perfect size to make sweaters for the new Chihuahua puppy. Now, years later, you know I ran my fingers through those socks once more before, finally, discarding them this week. Because touch stirs memory doesn't it?

How many times have you picked something up that you brought into your home years ago and immediately begun a film strip rolling in your mind? It doesn't have to be something from a vacation you just had to have as a memento, or a priceless heirloom, it just has to have been accepted into your environment to become part of the story of your life. Those socks were past their use, yet just touching them brought back memories of my girls (now grown) as young children. I could hear their laughter as it was then, open and free like nothing else in the world.

I started thinking about my work; my jewelry, and what draws me to it as a way of expressing myself. It is touch. The making part, using my hands to create something, satisfies and calms me, but it goes beyond that. We interact with our jewelry. The way it fits, the way it feels, how it makes us feel when wearing that favorite, favorite piece. It's tactile.

Are there pieces of jewelry sitting in the back of your jewelry box that you have not thought of or touched for a while? Pull them out, put them all on! Remind yourself what drew you to the pieces to begin with. Touch them!

Have fun with it, I'm off to continue packing those boxes. If my experience with those socks is any indication, I'm in for it as I fill them.

I'll be with you all soon so until then....

Forget Me Not!