Saturday, March 16, 2024

The Never Ending Birthday Party

 

       


My birthday took place on January 26th. It’s now the middle of March, but the birthday decorations are still up in our house. No, I have not taken them down. My excuse is that the balloons simply refuse to deflate. Also, they're obviously a little magical. Purple, blue, red and also orange and pink. My husband bought them for me at the supermarket and then blew them up and tied them with string and attached them to the living room mantel by the fire place—as well as in the upstairs bedroom on the mantel, also by the fireplace. That’s the miracle of the balloons, really—you would think that being placed by a burning fire they would have given up the ghost--that is to say, deflated and died.

But they did not. Although, he did move the ones in the living room to the sun room, which is a very nice room—always pretty much empty because this is where I practice yoga. It makes me feel so cheerful when I look up from downward dog or baby pose and catch sight of those balloons. Honestly, it’s like there’s an on-going a party in our house. Or, that we’ve just had a party and this is the after party. Or-- if I squint a certain way and ignore the slight droopiness of the balloons—I can pretend that we’re about to host a party.

My husband has placed a paper conical Happy Birthday party hat next to the balloons on the upstairs mantel. So now, when I wake up in the morning, I think—wait! There’s a party! I better get up and get dressed! Honestly, the sight of those balloons and the party hat, never fails to put me in a happy mood.

Creative Friends—a little laughter can go a long way when it comes to inspiring art-making. It doesn't take much. Try thinking of your home as a moving, ever evolving, museum of creativity. Consider switching things up so that you're surprised and delighted on a daily basis. This can be as simple as placing a pretty rock you found on a walk on top of your desk. Or maybe re-arranging your own personal art gallery of quirky postcards. Consider arranging your books on the bookshelf--not by subject, but by what author you believe could have an interesting chat with another author. And if you have little ones, arrange the toys so that they can have tea parties with one another. Extra points for the unexpected, even dangerous liaisons. Lion, meet Giraffe.

This will keep your never ending party going.

Love,

Jamie