Somedays you just need something to take you back to the “you” you are on your very best days. I don’t know if it was the weather, the huge scary task at hand, that time of the month, the personal bummer of news I recently received or all of it combined, but I was having one of those days. And then I spread my ickiness to my poor biz partner K. I let my big mouth and nerves about our new project get to me. It was official, I was in the dumps. Or as my favorite movie character, Anne Shirley, over-dramatically says, “I was in the depths of despair.” It passed luckily, but today I had to revisit something that inspired me growing up. That reminded me of the way my heart soars on my best days. The way my heart was as a worry free, dreaming kiddo. The heart that I can access on my very best moments. So enter….Miss Rumphius! A childhood book of mine. Even the smell reminds me of the joy this story brought me, well still brings me. I wanted to be Miss Rumphius!
It’s the story of a young girl who learns some important life lessons from her grandfather. This girl, Alice worked in her gramp’s shop, an immigrant who came to America as a young man and found work as a wood carver and artist. As Alice worked along with him in his shop, he constantly reminded her of her mission— to add beauty to the world.
As Alice grew, she traveled near and far, witnessing beauty of all kinds. As an adult, she still had not found that one thing that would be her own contribution to beautifying the world. Finally, as an old woman, Alice’s mission came to her. The end of the story is a delightful surprise. It calms the heart.
This reminds me of one of my favorite passages in the bible, “Let the beauty of the Lord establish the work of your hands,” Psalm 90:17. What I love about this story is that that “surprise” at the end relaxes my soul, makes me realize it is okay to slow down, that God will use me in His own way and I don’t have to make myself crazy trying to figure out what that one thing is. I can just love Him, myself and others, and maybe that alone is just plenty. He will do the rest.
I didn’t mean to get so cheezy on you all. Really this blog is just as much for me as for all of you. But if anyone else out there is feeling a like I did yesterday…. deep breaths, quiet your heart and know that you just as you are enough to make the creator of the universe happy. So…. just be. Blessings – Riss
Very inspiring, loved how you presented your experience on a lovely positive way.
Thank you for sharing… and if photography ever lets you down… you will do as good as an inspiring writer 🙂
Thank you!
Mari
Wow,I really needed to hear that today, thanks! Sometimes, “living our dreams” really is that. Those same dreams can keep me awake all night with worry. Have a better day today, Thanks!
That isn’t cheesy. 😀 I think we all have days like that, and it’s good to have our own ways that calm us and bring us back to what’s important. Thus, we can focus on being happy, peaceful and productive all at he same time. Thanks for sharing!