Last night we went to a summer gathering. It was flower themed, so I said maybe I could make some flower garlands.
I had not made flower garlands for many years, since I had made them for Krishna in Sacramento. It was an honor to be invited to make garlands for the Krishna puja. There was a moment in the ceremony where someone would bring for Swami the trays that had the garlands, sandwiched between damp paper towels. He would adorn the Krishna statue–ankle, head, neck, arms. Yes, a few years, I did that.
Last night, it was fun to work together with Ming. We make an amazing team. He helped me in many ways.
My friend took some pics of us making flower garlands.
We made a mini one for this bear sculpture.
Here’s a pic I took of the purple one, as it waited to adorn someone.
I enjoyed having something to do with my hands, at the party. I was really hot but did ok. There were other crafts available. But it was fun to bring our own materials and bring a skill others might not have.
Well, it’s a straightforward thing to do. I didn’t get fancy, with the particular flowers I used. But others might not have known to do it. The impetus and knowing it’s possible may be part of the skill. I enjoyed all aspects, like the damp paper towels and how the flowers smelled.
Here’s the part of the party that did the talking circle. It was a Red Tent event, but a family and friends version. You can see the eldest and youngest wearing their yellow and purple garlands.
other arts
It was a creative day. I also made these thank you tags from tags for the new shirt I got in the mail. Felt like a natural thing to do.
I was feeling grateful to my best friend for nurturing me so skillfully, over the years. And grateful to another friend who just started hormone replacement therapy–grateful to em for being a good example, and for doing the hard work of authenticity. I mailed the tags to them yesterday.
I made this sign also that says Love is a skill I can strengthen. That idea matters a lot to me, lately. Communication, vulnerability, consent, honesty, listening–all of that we can think about, make plans and decisions about, ask for help with, and practice.
That’s on my mind because I’m working on a new zine about how to nurture.
trilobite
At the party was a new friend who loved trilobites like Ming does. He gave Ming this trilobite. It was extremely sweet, like I almost cried. Maybe Ming did too.
In this fossil pic, you can’t see the trilobites very well, but maybe you can tell Ming feels loved and happy.
