The Shape of the Day

Here's an oldie that I've added some finishing touches to, a little text and some bits from a vintage sewing pattern, a recent infatuation of mine. It's a little guy 8"x8", using some hand stamping and paint and experimenting with some walnut ink that gives things a kind of aged, tea washed look.

Yesterday a lot of art happened around here. It struck me in the morning that there are a usual number of things I get done during the day and that if I want to get to some of the long suffering tasks on my imaginary list of things I might someday do, I needed to rouse some extra energy and intention. Otherwise the status quo prevails.

I figured it's about being mindful about how I use my time and paying attention to the subtle momentum of habit; the way I move through the day rather unconsciously, drinking my tea, checking email and blogs, wandering here and there, doing this and that. It's amazing where the day goes.

So intention and mindfulness were the fuel that breathed life into 2 new projects and a cluster of old ones. I learned something about directing my energy instead of sliding along on the surface of the day, nothing aggressive or pushy about it, just a little forward momentum and the universe cooperating with me.

On a slightly different note I'd like to share a book with you that I've been reading. Our bodies are always reminding us about impermanence, how things change. The aches and pains, the wrinkles and bumps, nothing could be a more immediate reminder of this. A massage therapist I met on retreat, recommended a book called "Pain Free" by Pete Egoscue, saying it was the most intelligent book on the body she had ever read. His basic premise is in our modern lives, there is much of the body we don't use and conversely we use the rest of it in ways that promote misalignment of the body. He offers simple exercises to help with sore parts. Your sore shoulder may be the result of misaligned hips. Your dizziness could be corrected by a series of exercises that don't even involve your head (remember that thing that thinks its in charge?)

And I am really on a ramble tonight because I'm going to tell you about kombucha tea. I drank it while travelling in the US in March & April and it seemed to be everywhere. It's expensive to buy by the bottle but you can make it yourself. It's made from a fungus like thing (called a scoby which stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeasts.). It' a fermented entity and you need a "mother" (not your average mother, though). to start a batch.

So I put a note out saying I was looking for a mother (the fermenting variety), on the wonderful Salt Spring Island List Serve (which is like a mini round-up of what's up on the island, lost cats, found goats, free cows, rescued lamas (the furry kind), things for sale, things wanted) And by the kindness of strangers (which still always amazes and humbles me) a young woman offered me a kombucha starter. I met my kombucha connection today, have brewed up my tea and am using a positive attitude to get me to day 7 which will find me sipping delicious, healthy kombucha. A part of me always thinks I won't get it quite right and (in this case I'll kill my mother and poison myself) (hmm sounds like a Shakespeare play). Kombucha's claim to fame is that it's supposed to improve immune system function, detoxify the body and provide healthy bacteria and lactobacilli for the gut. So with any luck my mother will make me some fine tea.