I came to understand something as I prepared to make my breakfast this morning.
I have taken to eating a fresh seasonal fruit, like a handful of blueberries (I even found local strawberries this week – in late September!). I sprinkle my fruit with ground chia and flax seeds, hemp hearts, roasted almonds. And then -get this- I drizzle my trusted, delicious, lemon-flavoured fish-oil from the local company Ascenta on top. Seriously – this product has changed my life. It’s the equivalent of the apple computer in supplements: it makes something that is good for you so user-friendly aka delicious, that you want to use it every day!
But what I was trying to say was this: I reached into the cupboard to choose a bowl for my breakfast this morning, when –upon my mismatched assortment- I came upon one of the many beautiful bowls I inherited from my mother.
I paused to admire the beautiful glaze, like an abstract painting, yet earthy in its hues. Then I traced my fingers along the carefully crafted shape – such attention was given to the making of this vessel. I lingered in the enjoyment of its beauty for a moment, before getting on with preparing my breakfast.
The moment brought remembrance of/ longing for my mother, who passed away just this Spring. I suddenly realized what a huge influence her appreciation for craft, and all things of beauty, have had on me, and how this appreciation is very much engrained in my native European culture. Not only was I surrounded by things of elegance and beauty all my life, but going to artisan markets was a regular event for us, and I remember many a time watching my mother fall in love with a piece created from clay, wood, metal, or glass. Such great fortune: having been raised by an appreciator of artisanry!
