If Magdalena could dance

"If Magdelana could dance"

 Seth Godin wrote, "what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcame the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human"
Since spring I have been traveling in a new direction. Many of my friends have been on this path with me even though they may be unaware. We have shared stories. Setting those stories free is essential to healing.
Thank you for the inspiration and the words.

Making due

 Summer is here and the request have come flooding in. A new bike, a new skateboard, more Super Soakers, new video games and Lego sets, trips to the amusement park and lots of ice cream. What my kids do not understand, because they aren't suppose to yet, is I spend a chunk this week on getting the pool open, buying them new summer shoes, bathing suits, shorts and yes, a few new Super Soakers. I also had to get prescriptions filled and pay the final heating bill. It was a long winter. I wish I could get them everything their hearts desired but that isn't the best example. Trust me, I have accumulated plenty of crap I do not need, but generally I try to use what I have first. I am frugal by nature and I enjoy the occasional dumpster dive. So how do I pass this on to my kids?
 After my last post I got to thinking about my father. He definitely had a big influence on my passion for salvaging. He likes making tables. The coffee table in my  house growing up was big enough and sturdy enough that as kids we would dance on it as we acted out "The Copa Cabana". Before it was our stage it was a pink wooden bench that my father rescued from a burn pile. If you look under the table today you can still see the paint. When I was little my neighborhood had "Junk Day". Everyone put out the things they wanted to get rid of and then drove around seeing what everyone else put at the end of the drive way. A wooden ladder became our monkey bars and our slide had a slight twist to the left but it was all salvaged, so with hammer and nails my dad made us an amazing fort. Last summer my mom and dad found a free rowboat on the lake and rowed it to my dock. Now I just have to find some oars.
This to me is fun. Memories are made discovering "new" treasures. I hope my kids will also find it fun and see its value. It  is easier to buy things new but times are tough and it just isn't possible. Making due demands more of our creativity, we may have to develop some unconventional solutions, but it forces us to think and ask questions. School may be out for the summer but learning should be a constant.

3 more days

I, along with millions of other, have three more days. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I will spend that time contemplating what happened to the year. How is it I managed to still not get my basement cleaned out or even the hall closet. How is it that all my good intentions of organizing my life while my kids were occupied at school got away from me. I have three more mornings of sipping my coffee as I peruse Facebook and my emails. Three more leisure trips to the gym or a morning of Kayaking. Three more days to find the lost library book. And no more 8am movies. That was new this year.
 The population at the grocery store is about to triple. Instead of a 45 minute lap with a few gossip stops, food shopping will become an 85 minute lesson in patients, bargaining and saying "No!" No more humming along to the streaming 80's tunes I love so much.
 Yet, I will not have to trade snuggling for scrambling to catch the bus. Snacks will not be eaten in the back seat while going 75 on the way to dance, soccer, football, or scouts. Echoes of laughter will fill the woods along with barking dogs. Yes, summer is around the bend and I am looking forward to the change of season. I believe these are the times my kids will remember and not if my bookshelves were organized. I remember the fort my Father built in the backyard after a morning salvaging parts from around the neighborhood's Junk Day. He taught me how to use tools and the importance of making the most out of what was available.
 Put away the "to do" list and break out the sun screen, in three days, don't rush me.
Crap...just realized Wednesday is a half day!

So Close.

I spent this past weekend embracing the beautiful weather and doing my first installation.
It is dedicated to all the missed moments, the fleeting moment, coming in second, hearing the phone ring too late, forgetting to say good bye, or wishing you had said I love you more ofter.
It is dedicated to finding the strength to try again.
And now that I have completed one I must quickly move toward finishing the next. I couldn't have completed this on my own so thank you Patrick for lending me your thoughts, hands, and support.