sp1ral
Sixteen years ago I moved from rural Idaho to a Chicago suburb to start college. That first semester, I read my bible and prayed every night. The next semester I took "World Religions" and for the next three years I read about Taoism, Judaism, Hinduism, Rastafari, and Islam. I went to B'hai meetings and joined a wiccan coven. I learned physics and calculus. I read Richard Bach, Gloria Steinem, and Robert M. Pirsig. I wanted to understand the various explanations of the mysteries of life. The stories and characters are different, but it felt like they were all saying, "relax and enjoy the ride. The ride is more fun when you're at peace with yourself and love your fellow travelers." Of course, they all differ on what happens next... :)
I began collecting suns - I even tatooed one on my ankle. I went to graduate school started my career and traveled the world. I took my yoga mat on every trip. My spirituality was seeing the world through my camera lens, but experienced during the fleeting moments between planes, meetings, and mad typing at my computer. As I traveled, I continued to learn - Shinto, Buddhism, quantum mechanics.
When I saw this glass window at an art fair last Friday, I realized I had stopped collecting suns; that it felt like a symbol of the immature me...that I was grown up now. This window caught my eye and I knew it was the perfect size for our hallway window - where we need privacy from our neighbors. I have been dreaming of solutions for this window ever since we bought this house.
I called J, confirmed the dimensions of the window, then bought the sun. On the way home I felt regret - it was too much money, it wasn't the style of our house, it represented the "old" me.
J hung it first thing Saturday morning. Since then, I've walked past it dozens of times. Last night, feeding Z at 2 in the morning I realized that the symbol of sun and moon is as relevant today as it was decades ago...probably more so.
Not only does it represent that I'm a sun sign (J and I are both Leos), it represents my continued belief in love and the mystery of the universe. What better way to represent the universe than with the body that gives us heat and light during the day and the other body that shows the passing of time through its reflected light? The yin and yang of life. The spirals of understanding. Our own personal orbits through the universe...bouncing off of each other...gravitating towards each other...loving.
I began collecting suns - I even tatooed one on my ankle. I went to graduate school started my career and traveled the world. I took my yoga mat on every trip. My spirituality was seeing the world through my camera lens, but experienced during the fleeting moments between planes, meetings, and mad typing at my computer. As I traveled, I continued to learn - Shinto, Buddhism, quantum mechanics.
When I saw this glass window at an art fair last Friday, I realized I had stopped collecting suns; that it felt like a symbol of the immature me...that I was grown up now. This window caught my eye and I knew it was the perfect size for our hallway window - where we need privacy from our neighbors. I have been dreaming of solutions for this window ever since we bought this house.
I called J, confirmed the dimensions of the window, then bought the sun. On the way home I felt regret - it was too much money, it wasn't the style of our house, it represented the "old" me.
J hung it first thing Saturday morning. Since then, I've walked past it dozens of times. Last night, feeding Z at 2 in the morning I realized that the symbol of sun and moon is as relevant today as it was decades ago...probably more so.
Not only does it represent that I'm a sun sign (J and I are both Leos), it represents my continued belief in love and the mystery of the universe. What better way to represent the universe than with the body that gives us heat and light during the day and the other body that shows the passing of time through its reflected light? The yin and yang of life. The spirals of understanding. Our own personal orbits through the universe...bouncing off of each other...gravitating towards each other...loving.
posted by sp1ral at 10:57 AM
1 Comments:
Beautiful story and so nicely written. Thank you :)
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