Child's Play

We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.

Author unknown

The newest quilting project is a gift for an upcoming first birthday: soft building blocks. I am having much fun with all the bright, cheery fabric, some selected for the pleasure of their soft plush feel. My inner child is enjoying playing with them as much as I hope little Catherine will.

And of course I have a little helper who also wants to play!

Revisiting the Past

You must learn some of my philosophy. Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure.

Jane Austen, English novelist (1775-1817) in Pride and Prejudice

 

A friend from university days and I challenged our memories and enjoyed a grand time re-visiting a number of our former loves at the Pompeii exhibition now showing at the Royal Ontario Museum. I won't say how long ago we wandered the ancient streets of Pompeii with our professor and I can't say that our memories are crystal clear, but I will say that we laughed and had a good time then -- as now. We couldn't let pass the opportunity to have a little dress-up fun!

The exhibition has a pretty impressive selection of artifacts. Memories of my beloved Egypt were  stirred with the charming little vignette of an ibis perched on the back of a stone sphinx in a Pompeiian fresco painting. The presence of the palm tree transported me back to the lovely shaded sculpture garden of the museum at Memphis.

I subscribe to Jane Austen's philosophy: I'm so very thankful for the warmth that such memories bring to my soul. And to making more good memories, such as a day spent with a friend!

Celebrating Backwards and Forwards

With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) in The Merchant of Venice

I am blessed for all the mirth and laughter around the table this evening celebrating my birthday with family. Do birthdays celebrate the year past or the year ahead? I've thought of it as the latter but with this birthday I feel like I am celebrating both faces of Janus. The previous 365 days have had their ups and downs and yet I can raise a toast and bid adieu with a smile. I also toast whatever lies ahead in the next 365 days with a promise to myself to manage (and maybe learn from) the bad and to revel in the good with exuberance.

I decided to celebrate throughout the day. Taking a vacation day from work meant that I could sleep in (after getting up to feed Cat her breakfast at the appointed hour of 5am, without which there would be no further rest). I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast coffee before (gasp) taking Stealth out for her first road trip of the year to the bayfront where I could sit under a tree, sip a coffee, breath in the soft watery air and listen to the quiet dives of cormorants fishing for their lunch. Heavenly. Then I followed Cat's example and luxuriated in an afternoon nap before getting ready for dinner. It was a wonderful celebration.

So Salute! to the past year and Cheers! to that which lies ahead.

Let the Fun Begin (OK, Continue)

Stop acting so small.
You are the universe in ecstatic motion.

Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī, Persian Sufi mystic (1207-1273)

I opened the mailbox and found a touching birthday card cheering me on for a year of striving for the exciting, catching opportunities to do the special, dancing with each new day, looking positively to the future, and making a difference in the world.

The card suggested that I already do all this, yet I haven't felt that I've been such a bright light bulb in the work-a-day world recently. My splendidly stripped friend here is my new mascot, prominently displayed on my cellphone, to remind me to fill my world with colour.

And I'm already smiling!