Annoyances and Irritations

My special glasses are always with me. Bikers and Firefighters also use these to protect their eyes.

Life has its annoyances and irritations. I am allergic to dust. It shows up mostly in my eyes and, yes, I do my fair share of sneezing too, but it is really my eyes that suffer the wrath. The fact that I have chronic dry eye doesn’t help either. I have prescription eye drops for the allergy and the dry eye to help with the irritation and I also have some special prescription glasses to help keep out dust and air debris. They do a pretty good job but my eyes still do get irritated. I suppose if I lived in a sterile bubble I would not have to use those eye drops or the glasses, but what fun would that be?

I have a life to live, places I want to go, things I want to do, stories I want to share, puppets I want to build, clothing I want to sew, people I want to visit. I can’t let this allergy or the dry eye stop me, I just use the drops and wear the glasses and keep on going. 

I’ve been clearing out my house, purging and organizing. That really stirs up the dust! My eyes have certainly been suffering. I use artificial tears several times a day to wash out the dust and help to calm my eyes as I spend time in closets and clean under dressers. The progress I have been making in clearing out the old stuff to make room for what I really want is amazing…however, it comes with a cost to me, my eyes are going to get irritated.

Everybody has something that is irritating and annoying. Perhaps that annoyance can be avoided at times but then there are times we all must face that challenge to move forward. I cannot ever completely avoid dust but I can do things to manage its effect on my eyes. It is worth the time, effort, and money it takes to put those drops in my eyes and purchase special glasses so I can explore the world and go forward. There is so much I want to see!!

By the way, just in case you needed someone to tell you this, you’re worth it too! 

Artist Meeting

Once a month I get together with a friend, Gwen Bowen, who is also an artist. She is an amazing potter and owns Frog Crossin’ Pottery.

When we get together, we talk shop. It is a time for us to discuss the challenges we face as women, entrepreneurs, and artists. We talk about how and where to find opportunities to market, annoyances we encounter, and great things that have happened. Gwen tells me she has booked another craft fair, I tell her I’ll be doing a trade show at the end of the month.

This artist meeting motivates us to set realistic goals for our businesses. We are more likely to accomplish those goals because we know we will be meeting again in 4 weeks and there will be questions of accountability. There is also something to be said about meeting with someone who is an artist but not in the same field. At times we have to take some moments to explain what is involved with the creation of our art. This increases our ability to converse with our customers and clients and gives us each insight on what information they need to have to make good decisions.

I have learned much about pottery from Gwen; in fact, I own several pieces of her usable art. I am thankful for our monthly artist meetings and our friendship. 

Check out Gwen's work on Facebook.

Rare Moments

The eclipse!! All the preparing for this rare event which only happens maybe twice in a lifetime. Amazing huh?

Have you seen the USPS eclipse stamp? We got some and have been using them. Then my husband saw a news segment on TV about what really makes them special. He came into the kitchen holding the sheet of stamps he purchased and said, “Watch!” He held his thumb on one of the stamps and when it was warmed it revealed the moon. We were both excited and tried this almost magic trick again and again, saying, “That is so cool!” It was a small, rare, moment that you would have not known about unless I told you the story. That moment will never happen again in my lifetime.

Our lives are made up of rare moments. I love this paraphrased quote:

“The universe is not made up of tiny atoms, but tiny stories.”

— Muriel Rukeyser

How true is that? I think it is wisdom to share those tiny rare stories. Write them down, orally share them, pass them to your children, tell your friends. Those tiny stories pass on knowledge, surprise, and even a smile. It happened just a moment ago. A friend called and I read this blog to her, she laughed about the stamp and said in an excited tone, “Really? It does that? I gotta go try that.” I gave her the moon, and it only took one rare moment. I have no doubt she will share her rare moment too.
 

Life List

People keep talking about their “Bucket List.” I don’t have one. When I think about a bucket, I think about limitations; a bucket will only hold so much. A limit. I don’t want to put a limit on myself, so I have decided that I have a Life List—things I want to do in my life.

Some of the things on my list are well within my control and others are out of my control. My desires, my dreams, my goals, my plans; I put them all on my Life List because I also know there is a "what if, and is" in every life list. When I am writing a story I keep asking myself, “what if” as well is “and is.” For instance:

 "WHAT IF the kid finds a skateboard while being chased by the bear AND IS saved?"

"WHAT IF the cat in the advertisement jumps out of the magazine AND IS found talking?"

"WHAT IF I go a party and just happen to talk to the CEO of a major company AND he IS looking for a puppeteer and storyteller for the company Family Fun Day?"

Hey, it could happen because of ‘what if, and is.’ I invite you to make your own Life List and put it on paper—because in the center of a Life List there is an ‘if’ and an ‘is.’

Here are some things on my Life List. Believe me, there are a lot more—but these are just a few.

What's on your Life List??

Jovi

Jovi, my cat. Gosh, what an addition to our family. He is a rescue cat. I found him on pet finder. When I saw him I just laughed and I knew he belonged here. He had a sister named Bon, she went to another family. 

Jovi has figured out how to turn on the water in the bathtub. We keep the bathroom door closed to keep him away from the faucet. I miss the light that came through the bathroom window into the hallway but I love my cat and it is a small thing compared to having a living being in the home.