With St. Valentine's Day a mere fifteen days away, I've been meaning to write a bit about the idea of LOVE. By 'love,' I guess I mean passion for life or joie de vivre, not to be confused with romantic love or passion, which the upcoming holiday sentimentalizes. I am one of those lucky people who has always been passionate about something--usually many things at once! About one year ago, I decided to uproot my life in Columbus, leave my pretty fulfilling teaching career, and pursue a new dream (currently located at 4605 Fulton). :) Lately it's occurred to me just how blessed I am to have had TWO careers in one lifetime and to really, really love both of them.
On Sunday, two of my former students from the Humanities magnet program where I used to teach came to visit me. That's the three of us in the photo above (I'm the one in the middle). These high school Seniors gave up several hours out of their weekend to drive up here. I gave them a personal tour of the shop, which was so much fun, and then we went to lunch. These two, and the rest of the bunch who I dearly miss and can't wait to visit in the near future, are bright, talented, self-motivated, creative, loving individuals who will change the world. I am a changed person for knowing them. The program in Columbus where we all met, and which they currently attend, is all about examining your personal perspective on the world, challenging your own biases and mindsets and prejudices, and growing into a fuller person. I have to say that were it not for these very students, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to identify a latent desire of mine to become self-employed in some ultra creative venture. Were it not for them, The Blissful Home might never have been born.
So this is a short treatise on LOVE. Here are some lovely things I've noticed lately: the way my sister-in-law's eight months pregnant belly strains against her shirt, and the way my little brother looks at his pregnant wife; the way it feels to slip into jeans that are fresh out of the dryer and yet not too tight (!) due to a couple good treks on the treadmill; the way the snow heaped up on my car in the morning looks like shavings that have collected in layers; the phrase "summer house" overheard in a customer's conversation; the light in my very first and oldest best friend's eyes when she entered my shop for the first time; the way my boyfriend describes his perfect summer evenings of boating on the lake...and my anticipation of being along for them in just a few short months; the laughter of the Fabulous Five ringing through my shop on Friday evenings.
Valentine's Day is not just for lovers. Love can appear to us in many shapes and forms. This February 14th, I encourage you to take a moment to savor the small sweetnesses in your own life. These are the moments to notice and to live for.
1 comment:
Abby.......You are absolutely wonderful in more ways than I first imagined when I met you. I not only LOVE your shop, but also your thoughts on LOVE. I, too, believe that love expands when we pause to notice and appreciate the little-but-wonderous things all around us........Paula Blangger
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