ASAP

Paul and I had a good long walk this morning before the rain....and I followed the winter sun through the thickening clouds. 

I took a breath and slowed down just a bit today. ASAP felt good on this mostly rainy day.

ASAP

As Slow as Possible
As Soft as Possible
As Sustainable as Possible
As Sincere as Possible
As Steady as Possible
Allow Space and Pause

Tiny Little Buddha

I did spend some time on a repurposing project I've been working on for Max...who will be 2 at the end of this month. 

I'm keeping the project kind of quiet for now...but it involves a tattered Richard Scarry book I found at a thrift store...and a LOT of fussy cutting.   

 

Many Uses

The patterns in this ice puddle caught my eye on our morning. I do love nature art!

I played a bit with it digitally for a photo montage to send to Alyson....and share with you.

Happy Birthday to my friend Patty! I tied this tag around a little treat bag and took it down the street a few days ago.

I'm not sure I'm going to stop making these tags anytime soon. There are so many uses for them.

The words may change....the size may change...but they'll still spread just as much joy!

Lynn F sliced up some free greeting cards she got from the American Heart association to make bookmarks. She included words of inspiration and encouragement on the back and is going to offer them at her HOA lending library. Great idea Lynn! Thanks for sharing! 

They reminded me of this little pack of undies. And lo and behold there's some big pink polka dots Martha! 

I'm Nearly There!

I've got another story. I know I'm kind of a broken record lately...but this is my life right now. This is my joy.

I didn't have pink polka dotted underwear on...but I did have a little pep in my step and $225 burning in my pocket. 

Tracy Verdugo

I've done all my underwear shopping online so far...but I decided to head out to some local stores in search of quality, but reasonable priced underwear. And I really wanted to find some polka dots. After three stops and a short time in the mall...I was a bit discouraged. I was clearly in the wrong places. 

Then I remembered Marden's...a local surplus and salvage store. I was ready to be home and just get back online...but I rallied and decided to make this one last stop. 

When I first walked in I thought oh no...I can't do this. It's a big warehouse type store and always seems a bit chaotic. I also had my prescription sunglasses still on...and didn't take the time to go back to the car for my regular glasses. But I got a cart and headed out on my mission looking through my rose colored glasses....and I hit the jackpot!

The prices were great...and the brands familiar. I tried to get something for everyone: girls, boys, men and women. I piled things up by price so I could have a rough estimate of how much I was spending....but I really had no idea. I wish I would have taken a photo of my cart.

I got to the check out and Jeannette was a little surprised at my cart full of underwear...with a few polka dots here and there.

I briefly explained my story and we had a good chat as we bagged everything up in bright red Marden's bags and she gave me permission to take her photo. 

You will NOT believe what my total was.

$224.38! 62 cents to spare!!! 

Jeanette and I celebrated!

I knew how much I spent...but not how many pairs I got. So the first thing I did when I got home was tally it all up. 

205 pairs of underwear today.

Putting my total at 461!

I'm nearly there!

I'm tickled pink!

Pep in My Step!

Blessed are those who see beautiful things in humble places.

Alyson sent me this sunburst in ice a few nights ago...and I don't think I could love it or the name she gave it more. Nature art at its best! 

Martha, from North Carolina just sent a generous donation to my tag project...and had a request that is right up my alley. I'm going to quote her directly: 

"Please buy some polka dot undies if they're available. I have a pair with big pink polka dots that I only wear on Fridays to celebrate the weekend. They always put a pep in my step and a smile on my face." 

Both Paul and I laughed out loud...and he said "she's one of you!"  I'm a polka dot fan too...and you can bet I'm going to find some for Maine Needs! 

THIS...was actually a post for Maine Needs around Valentine's day. Martha is on to something! 

I've heard from several of you that are inspired to start projects of your own, and look for ways to do something for others. And THAT puts a pep in my step and a smile on my face for sure! 

Margie's Bookshelf

Subtitle: Darker Seasons

It's hard to know what to think and feel these days when there are so many distressing things happening in our country. But one thing I do know is that I feel a bit better when I do a little something that benefits someone else. 

Part One:

When Margie, my mother-in-law, moved to Maine she did an amazing job of pairing down a lifetime of accumulated stuff. The only thing she ever regretted not keeping was more of was books. She loved her books.

When it became clear that she was not going to go back to her apartment after her fall, we donated most of her furniture. 

We kept a few pieces she might have needed if she ended up in a smaller nursing room and of course all of her books and other personal treasures. One of the pieces of furniture that landed in our garage was her small bookshelf. 

It was the focal point in her living room along with her peace wall. She was proud of the depth and breadth of her small library and wanted it center stage....and she was always adding to it.

I would arrange the top of the bookshelf with seasonal decorations and during those in between seasons it held precious gifts from around the world given to her by people she loved. She especially enjoyed tiny lights on the top of the bookshelf on a timer that would come on in the evening during the darker seasons.

After her death, and once it was clear that no one we knew needed the bookshelf, Paul and I took it to a local consignment store. Just yesterday, I picked up a modest check for $65 and I think Margie would be tickled with what I did with the money.

Part Two:

On Thursday I did a volunteer shift at Maine Needs. Several of the clients I shopped for needed cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products...and Maine Needs generally has a pretty decent supply of those things. Two of the women specifically asked for tampons and/or pads....and the bin was completely empty. It made me so sad. Most of us take for granted having enough of these very personal items.

Margie was VERY picky and passionate about her personal care and hygiene products whether is was toothpaste or bar soap. And there was only ONE kind of pad she liked...and I was the only one allowed to shop for them. (Sorry to get so personal...but she wouldn't mind. She loved being mentioned on the blog....especially for a good cause.)

So when I left left the consignment store with the $65 check...the first thing I thought of was to buy as many tampons and pads I could with it to make a dent in the empty bin. I dropped them off at Maine Needs on my way home...and shed a few tears of joy for having had Margie...and her bookshelf in my life.

And I'm smiling this evening as I write this thinking about someone else's books on her shelf...and maybe a little set of lights on top during the darker seasons.

"Sacred Lingering"

My friend Dana turned a walk in closet into an art studio....and she's thinks about it as her special space for sacred lingering. I love that concept.

I have a few other fun projects in the works...and dozens in my head. But mostly I've been doing a lot of sacred lingering with my Words of Encouragement project/fundraiser. In case you're new to this space.....I describe the project in detail in this post.

It's been an overwhelmingly powerful and joyful experience for me during this very dark and difficult period in our country. And it's been a labor of love.

The second shipment of underwear arrived today....106 pairs of men's and women's this time.

With this shipment I got to the 256 pair I reported a few days ago. I currently have enough money to possibly purchase another 75 or so and I still hope to reach my goal of 500 pairs. We'll see.

If anyone has any interest in tags or kits, please reach out. I will send a few tags at no cost, and for a small donation I will send a kit and few extra tags. And to clarify...the kits are not to make tags, but to promote creating community by paying the tags forward. See the link above for more information about the contents.

Comment Update:

Connecting with others brings me tremendous joy. I love hearing your stories, seeing your projects, and learning about the joy that lands in your day. I just learned today that Ellen buys and donates socks to her local agency that helps those in need....and her last donation was 104 pairs! Way to go Ellen!

You can reach me by email (joyfulputtering@gmail.com)...or by commenting at the bottom of the blog. Starting with yesterday's post, I added an extra recommended layer of security and now can screen comments before they are published. So when you make a comment on the blog...I will get an email and will publish the comment as soon as I give it a quick check. So there might be a bit of a delay before you see you comment displayed.

I don't mind criticism and constructive feedback, but I cannot tolerate hate and violent speech. So only offensive and unproductive comments will not published and deleted.

If you follow this blog by email and want to make a comment....I would love to hear from you. At the bottom of the email....click "link to blog" taking you directly to online version of the post. Scroll down to the comment section at the bottom.

Thank you for making it to the end of this one!

Human Hands

I did a volunteer shift at Maine Needs this afternoon....and that always feels good. One of the things they tell us as we are shopping for individuals is to always try and include something extra. If they asked for kids clothes or boots...be sure and include a few books and toys too. If it's a man or woman asking for warm clothes...maybe include a new toothbrush and toothpaste. The little extras remind the recipient that the bag was packed with human hands.

I was excited to deliver the first 150 pairs of underwear. They just fit into a shopping bag that can be used to fill a small order....because they are always in the need of bags.  

I didn't shop for any children today...so only went into the kids room to get water. It was so nice to see them taking such care with their human hands to repackage the underwear in packs of seven....enough for a week. 

Now they're ready to go directly to kids in need.   

Each of my Words of Encouragement kits contain a card that I've carefully stitched on a piece of Margie's coloring...with my human hands.

Sometimes joy looks like loving one another doing things with our human hands. 

Fruit of the Loom

It was a whirlwind of a day which included a delightful lunch with a friend. But I don't think there was anything else more exciting than the big box that was waiting for me when I got home.

Joy sometimes looks like the first 150 pairs of new Fruit of the Loom children's underwear ready to deliver to Maine Needs.

Parade of Stamps

I'm guessing I'm not the only one with a stockpile of out of date stamps from before the Forever Stamps. And I have plenty of 1 cent...and 2 cent that we used to need to fill in the gaps.

I was so excited when I came up with the idea of puzzling these odd stamps together for my tag mailings. In some ways it's going to feel like the mailings are free!       

Here are my current stats:

256 pairs of underwear ordered.

30 kits mailed or delivered as of today.

Approximately 150 tags distributed.

I'm so pleased.

This little parade of stamps on these envelopes tickle me pink.

Do you know what else tickles me? I cut off the blooms from the first amaryllis stem today. They are as dry as they're going to get...and just look how beautiful they still are. 

As is the color combo that landed on this tiny hope tag. They just make me happy!

Connections

Just a few connections today...and a whole lot of puzzle joy! Just warning you.

A few days ago I attached this set of roses to the edge of the border there on the left. In that very moment I knew I had to connect this side with the other...making a path across the middle.

I know it's a silly little thing that I do...but sometimes the silly little things are just the right things.

This morning while I finished my coffee...

...the connection was complete.

Then while I was eating lunch (I always eat breakfast and lunch at the puzzle table...and dinner with Paul.) I saw that I was close to connecting the top to the bottom also. I filled in the yellow daffodils...and saved the pink flowers until after dinner....another ritual at the puzzle table with my very tiny dessert.

Now this fabulous puzzle is connected top to bottom and side to side. And I also got to connect another chunk of blue! It was a good connecting day at the puzzle table! 

I connected with Alyson with our photo exchange....she shared her gutter ice on the left...and I shared my crusty ice lace on the right. I think her bubbly gutter ice montage is just fabulous!

I connected with Tracie...who sent me this bit of love she spied on the sidewalk.

Then after sharing this close up of my ice lace with her, she noticed the tiny little heart I had missed it. But I see it now. Do you see it?

One could argue that there are two hearts here!

We see what we want to see!

Here's to happy connections and silly little things.

Joy Stuff

 "Our purpose is hidden in our joy, our inspiration, our excitement. As we act on what shows up in our life our purpose shows up." James King

Yes! 

This project showed up in my life at just the right time....and was hidden in my joy. 

Speaking of joy....looked what showed up at my door yesterday. Cinnamon was literally on my grocery list...and Becky had me covered.

And it came with Tasty Tips for Joy. My favorites were: 

Understand what connects us is far more important than what separates us. 

Through cooking, we discovered real strength comes from welcoming others in. Through cooking we discovered the JOY found in caring about others. 

Thanks Becky!

And....Becky shopped her stash for a couple projects I'm going to do for her. 

This is just the top layer...there's a whole lot of goodies in this stack of ephemera and you'll have to stay tuned for what's to come. It may take me awhile...but I'm excited about getting my hands on this joy stuff. 

Rattled....

 ....but not broken.

I am excited to report that with the money that I have raised so far I was able to order 150 pairs of children's underwear today in all sizes for both boys and girls. I can't wait to deliver them to Maine Needs next week.

Inspired by Dotty...I clipped a small branch from one of the forsythia bushes in the neighborhood and it's been sitting on my kitchen window sill for a few weeks. It opened up today....just the sign of hope and joy I needed. 

I got a scam email late yesterday that rattled me to my core. I've gotten them before so I mostly know how to identify them....delete...and report them as a scam. But at first this one seemed like it could have been a genuine request for Words of Encouragement.

At the top was a short and somewhat awkwardly written note telling me my kind words brought him joy followed by an address in Minnesota....also awkwardly written. But something about it felt off.  

I looked at it several times before finally scrolling down a little further finding clear evidence of scam linking my tag project to a charge that was going to be made to my Paypal account unless I immediately took action. I deleted and reported.

I cried for a bit...and was ready to just throw in the towel on everything last night. With so much chatter about people having access to our personal information out there right now....this felt more of a real threat than usual. And this time it also felt very personal. It felt like a low blow to a simple project of a woman with a glue stick trying to spread some words of hope and joy while doing something good for people in need,

I went to bed rattled...but with Paul's help...I gained perspective this morning. And after checking my accounts several times I know that everything is OK.

I am not broken....and I am not throwing in the towel. 

And speaking of towels...I do want to find a couple of brand new towels I have tucked somewhere that I want to donate. Towels are always in need...and we have more than we need.

Here is an excerpt from a powerful essay I read today by Rebecca Solnit called THIS IS REALLY HARD (BUT WE ARE NOT QUITTING): REFLECTIONS ON KINDNESS AND RESOLUTENESS. where she talks about the distinction between feelings and commitments.

"Emotions are the weather that swirls around and changes and changes again. Commitment, principles, are the mountain on which the sun and the rainstorm fall, and it remains a mountain. Pay attention to your storms and rays of light and pay attention to the mountain on which all those things fall."

There were dozens of passages I could have chosen to share from Rebecca's essay including her reflection on kindness....and comfort. So if you are interested....I encourage you to read her whole essay to see if there is anything that might resonate with you. 

https://www.meditationsinanemergency.com/this-is-really-hard-but-we-are-not-quitting-reflections-on-kindness-and-resoluteness/

And Dotty shared this powerful poem with me today reminding me to stay open.

Self Talk

by Rosemary Wahtola Trommer

Because I know in my body
the power of spaciousness,
I command my heart, Stay open.
Stay open, I growl,
as it clenches and hardens
and granites and steels,
but my terrified heart
keeps clenching anyway,
tighter and smaller and stuck.
I said, Stay open,
my voice a demand,
as if with intensity
I could force a release.
And the heart curls in,
intent on survival, like a pill bug,
like an armadillo, like a heart
that has learned before
it is not safe to love.
And it hurts to be small.
And it takes so much energy
to clench, that finally
it’s exhaustion that helps me
to hear the softer voice
beneath the command,
the quiet voice that arrives
like the slightest of waves, the voice
that arrives like low morning sun,
and the voice enters the clench of me
like gentle rain meeting dry earth,
and it says, Of course, you’re afraid.
For now it’s enough to remember
the possibility of opening.