"I thought you knew."

Somehow this week became all about my body. It was just all by coincidence, but I guess timing fell into place for getting me in tip top shape for a busy year. I had my eyes checked, teeth cleaned, attempted conversations with my phone nurse (?), a little preventative therapy for my back, and my favorite, a massage from Kate.

Kate is an excellent massage therapist who has quite a bit of experience with prenatal massage. I was pretty lucky to still be able to lay on my stomach without any problem. I have scoliosis, so I tolerate a lot more back pain than most. But once I push things too far, I end up in a lot of pain. Her massage was just what I needed right now. As Kate said, massages are more than just a luxury; they are necessary as part of your wellness plan. If you live in the Madison, Wisconsin area, I suggest that you make her part of your wellness plan.

I was quite excited about meeting Kate because she was the recipient of the book I created for Ben. He told me that she loved it, but you know how guys are. Everything is abbreviated. And I think that Ben is pretty generous in his descriptions. But this was my first commissioned project, so I was just so curious to hear what she thought.

Within minutes of meeting Kate, she told me all about how she loved the book. She said that it spoke right to her and mentioned a hard experience that she had had in the last year. I had no idea. So I was quite stunned to learn that she had totally read in that one little phrase so much of what she needed to hear. It was quite remarkable.

In making the book, I felt a little gun shy. I looked through several of my images from magazines the week before. So I had an idea of what I wanted to create. I knew that I wanted to use hands because she is a massage therapist. And I knew I wanted to reference travel, Asian influences, and green lush areas. But when it came time to make it, I sat there with a collection of teeny pictures and waited and waited before I finally got to work. Then it just all came together like it flowed through me.

I also usually get a little mantra in my head that I say over and over again. That is how I come up with what I write. I had this same experience with the tiny bell jars piece. I also have an incomplete project in my head for Penland. That piece says: “Next time I see you, my hair will be gray.” Maybe that was just my body making peace with my unknown future path.

So I am really intrigued by this idea of creating these little meditative works for people. I think that there is real power in them. But I don’t know how to start… I just need a little kindle of something for that person. It is almost like the perfect gift. It reminds me a bit of being some kind of messenger. I’ve always had a very strong intuition, which Henry and my mom say is my little touch. So I am excited about being open to the idea of somehow combining that with my art work and using it to help others. (Any thoughts on how to begin this exchange? Etsy? Hmmm…)

The most intriguing part was that throughout our conversation, Kate used the words “your calling” at least two or three times. I couldn’t help but notice this after beginning a new small group session on our call at church on Wednesday night. Welcome to Epiphany.

PS – Notice how I am looking for a studio partner in my blog entry about the bell jars! Wow! I am excited to have found Stuart!