Yesterday was a nearly perfect day.
I didn’t go anywhere beyond a small patch of Bakersfield. I didn’t have an enormous a-ha that will make me a multi-millionaire. I did, however create nearly every waking hour and when I wasn’t actively in creativity mode, I was spending time with my children.
Samuel went thrifting with me yesterday. He actually walked around the store and even – unbelievably – chose something to buy. Very specifically, mind you, he wanted something Christmas-y and because he is who he is, he wanted something very practical: coffee (or for him water or chocolate milk) mugs.
He carried things when my hands were full and when we discovered one of the few shopping carts, he pushed it.
I worked on creating more ladder shelves and destroyed and recreated an old, warped dresser which will now become several different works though I am not sure exactly what they will be. I painted a stool, I painted a goose box thing my friend bought me two summers ago at a thrift store because it was half price. I painted a piece I think was part of a Sunday School – because I can’t quite place where I have seen one like it and it has birds cut out of the wood on the sides. It is a sort of shelf thing. I could also see it as a “point of entry/exit” for young children. Like a small version of yesterday’s mudroom where shoes and jackets and backpacks may be stored.
We had disappointments. Emma and I had hoped to see a play but it was sold out.
Our friend Jennie joined us for our weekend jaunt to the mall not to shop but for Samuel to collect street pass tags. If you have a child with a handheld Nintendo device, you may know what that is. Maybe.
I even painted in my outdoor studio when it was dark. I was a woman possessed. When the frenzy ended, Emma and I sat and watched Project Runway while poking around facebook. Well, I poked around facebook, before the three “girls” of the house fell asleep on Emma’s bed. Alice the cat had to be a part of the party, naturally.
This morning, though, I didn’t want to begin because in the middle of my day I have a commitment that will cost me a chunk of four hours which after yesterday feels like an enormous vacuum.
I sat at my kitchen table with one of the old pieces of dresser and sketched out a plan for it. I felt listless. I probably felt a little bit sorry for myself. I walked into my living room and through the lace curtains I saw it.
Sunrise. She was a round, glowing circle of fire framed by my neighbor’s trees.
As I write this, the church bells a couple blocks away sound.
I grabbed my phone and ran outside, unbrushed hair and pajamas on, and took a few photos.
When I came back in, the curtains called me back to take more.
It felt like both a gift and a promise.
Perfect days show up in different ways. Today’s perfection looks different than yesterdays. That’s how it works. That’s how it is supposed to work.
>> = = = = = = <<
Julie
Jordan Scott is a writer, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist. Her
word-love themed art will be for sale at First Friday each month in Downtown
Bakersfield. Check out the links below to follow her on a bunch of different
social media channels, especially if you find the idea of a Word-Love Party bus
particularly enticing.
Please stay in touch: Follow me on Twitter: @JulieJordanScot
Be sure to "Like" WritingCampwithJJS on Facebook. (Thank you!)
Follow on Instagram
And naturally, on Pinterest, too!
© 2013
