Organizational Skills Aren't In My DNA

DH isn't super happy about my "organizational" skills, and I fully admit that large categories, when relating to my craft and art supplies, don't work extremely well. He's taken it as his job to get me organized, and I'm fully in favor of that, except I need to survive the process and I'm not sure that's working really well. It does seem that every other box contains new spools of wire or more beads. Those two categories are by FAR the worst. 

One of my major mysteries is this antique Swarovski
crystal. It's one of their "Elements" styles, crystals without
holes that are meant to be bezel-set. I want to list some of
my older Swarovski elements on Etsy, but I can't ID which
specific style number this one is, or the exact color
description. I sent photos off today to a friend who is a
distributor. Maybe he can come up with answers for me. 

Considering that I've owned and operated a store that sells these products, and that a large part of my artwork for the past three decades has used one or both of these products, it's sensible that I would own a lot of it. Of course, I sigh every time we open something and there, staring us in the face, are more beads, and even more beads. Ugh! Even if I had another fifty years I could never use up what I've got. While he's thinking about how to organize all of this, I'm thinking about how I can get rid of a lot of it. *sigh*

How do people manage to organize stuff? I know I have WAY too
much junk, and I'm not even a hoarder! I'm not the person buying
everything on HSN and then never opening boxes. I'm not the
person who weaves through narrow pathways in an ever
decreasing living space. I'm just trying to get my craft room into
order. ARGH!!!

I've been in a stall pattern on my holiday cards. Since Wednesday's unsuccessful search for my inks, I've just been spinning my wheels in the mud. That will have to change next week - no choice on that at all. As much as I may growl, I do have a firm Solstice deadline and usually I try to have things finished long before then. I'm trying to focus, but maybe a general need for more sleep and the cold temps have caused some brain drain. Yeah! I'll blame it on the cold. 

Sometimes it seems like my entire life has been spent
running in a hamster wheel. *sigh*

Today will be better, though. It's 5:00 am and it's 30 F outside. Yesterday at the same time it was 17 F, so we're definitely warmer. Huzzah! 

On that note I'm calling it done for today. Have a great weekend, all, and I'll be back on Monday. A special "Thank You" out to those of you who suggested Veterans Spousal benefits for my friend. I'll send her the links next week after she's had a bit of time to breathe. 

Engaging the Senses

Shiny things. What is it about shiny things that grab our attention. Why choose shiny instead of dull, sparkling instead of drab? I suspect it has something to do with the long history of evolution of humanity as a species. I suspect it hits the deepest part of the brain; something like: 

"Hey, Sam! I think the water's this a'way. See that little bit of shine over yonder?" 

Look at this lovely waterfall. Here we get the swishing sound of the rushing
water, the smell of the water and the moss-covered rocks, the texture of
the rocks themselves, the smell of water and greenery, and I'm sure
the taste of the water would be wonderful and cold. 

Yes, that ability to find water by the sparkle of sunlight on the shiny arcs of liquid is a very human thing. I choose sight, because our sense of smell is rather dismal. There are animals who would be able to smell the water from long distances away, but humanity evolved into sight-operated entities with sound augmentation. We see, we hear and finally we smell and we taste. Sometimes touch comes into the equation too. To be truly satisfied on all levels, we must totally engage all of these aspects of being human. Think about it. 

The more senses are engaged in a project or event, the more you'll
be involved in it and the happier you'll generally be. Think about
attending a concert. You hear the music, you often drink a beverage
while listening, You see the musicians and their stage show. You
smell the people next to you and the singed smoke from any
pyrotechnics, and you touch the person dancing next to you. It's
a total experience. 

Two of the major products I sell are beads and jewelry. They are often sparkling, with a sheen from the lights and a color that is augmented by the colors that hang nearby. Although sound doesn't often play into jewelry, there is something intensely satisfying when pouring small beads onto a beading surface so they are ready to use in a project. It's a "swish" type of sound, a small rattle at a low pitch. There's no taste, and no smell for either jewelry or beads, the materials they are made from are inert. I suppose there's a back-of-the-mouth metallic tang if I put tongue to metal, but jewelry is rarely (if ever) made for tongue and taste. Touch is big, though. A good piece of jewelry, a beading project in the making, these are items that beg to be stroked, fondled, and hefted. 

This is an item entitled a "Jade Fondling Stone". I'd probably be
calling it a "worry stone", but the concept is the same. Just look
at it. doesn't the light texturing of the larger stone invite
the hand? Isn't that indentation just asking to be caressed? Stone
and other natural materials are popular because they beg to be
fondled and stroked. 

Think about it for a moment as you go through your day today. How many of your senses are you engaging at any given time? Vision is almost always a basic, but touch and smell certainly come into play often during an average day. Try to engage your senses more fully today. Pay attention to your reactions to sight, smell, sound, taste and texture. See how many ways you can experience that cup of coffee or that book from the shelf. Deepen your appreciation of the depths of your humanity and find that water sparkling far away in the distance. Happy Friday, I'll be back tomorrow. 

The Other Side

Looking across at the other side. On the heels of the historic Brexit vote, I'm looking for pictures that will illustrate looking across at other things, places or people. I have no idea how the vote will ultimately affect Britain or the European Union, but it reminds me of the vote for secession taken by the Confederate states before the beginning of the Civil War in the United States more than 150 years ago. Of course Brexit is different in so many ways, but there is a similarity there that worries me.

People will be celebrating or will be aghast at the results
of this election. But the election is over. Now everyone
will need to learn how to work within the new mandate. 

An on-line friend posted this yesterday and I just had to pass it on. What does this have to do with looking at the other side? Well ... I'm older, and I can look back at my life from the far side now. Over my lifetime I've made 100's of friends, but those whom I label as my true friends are few and are cherished. Maybe that's my correlation with my subject today. I gazed across the valley of my life at a mass of people I've met and interacted with over the years, but just a few had moved from the milling crowd into the open center. Here they stand as people whose welfare crosses my mind often and as those with whom I would choose to share experiences any time.

Real friends are those who are with you through
thick and thin over time. I'm fortunate with
my friends - we have staying power. 

In ancient times before we had instant communication and air transport, entering an unknown valley was dangerous. What would the new valley hold? Were there people? Would they be friendly? Maybe there were fierce animals and any people living there would rather kill you than share a meal. You wouldn't know unless you took the bold step of walking away from the familiar and entering the unknown. As children we do that often - it's how kids learn. Most of us lose that sense of exploration and adventure as we grow older and more "responsible".

Looking across at the other side of the valley could be frightening.
What would we encounter as we passed through toward the
mountains ahead? Yet, as people, we have passed through these
valleys throughout our history in a quest to discover and
to understand the world around us. 

So as the world enters a new phase, the people within it will cross a new bridge and discover what lies on the other side. The days to come will be filled with new experiences and lots of rhetoric, but it's a year of change for everyone and we'll all have to cross this bridge. Britain made their feelings known with yesterday's vote and the USA Presidential election will take place in November. Both events will change the world as we know it. Here's hoping we all look back on these events in later years with a smile because we're crossing that bridge whether we want to or not.

Crossing a bridge is an act of faith in some ways. You hope
that you'll have positive experiences on the other side of
the bridge, and you cross a chasm or boundary of water to
get there. 

Here's hoping your week has gone well and will continue to do so. I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully a bit less pensively. Happy Friday!

Playtime - When Does It Change?

I'm back (trying to catch up on innumerable emails and backlogged work) and have to post, of course. I'll give a report on my week playing with metal and fire another day this week, but that's adult play. While stopping for a quick meal on the way home yesterday, I saw the two young boys in the three photos below playing. Their innocent self-focus made me think: "When do our thoughts of allowable play shift?"

The boy in the left is wearing a wolf ears headdress. 

The boy on the right is wearing a red superhero cape. 

Each boy looked to be between 6 and 8 years old. 

The two boys were totally into their friendship, the food, and weren't self conscious about their outfits at all. The parents supported them wearing ears and capes in public, after all, they were in a crowded restaurant. But what if an adult or a pair of adults had worn the ears and the cape? Would glances cast at the two be as indulgent unless they were attending a convention such as Dragon Con or Comic Con? When do those attitudes of "let kids be kids" change to "grow up and act your age"?

I play with metal, chemicals and fire. I'm not taking my toys to my local restaurant. But seeing these two young men dress up without hesitation led me to share their happiness with all of you. Go out and play today. I'll start some catch-up blogs tomorrow, but have to drive through the thunderstorms to the gym today. I gained five pounds over my week of meals out and crazy fun. Time to get those pounds back off again. Happy Monday!