This is my newest necklace design. I made it with my favorite green glass czech beads. I don't ever want to run out of these beads because I absolutely love everything about them…their color, their shape, their feel. It seems so arbitrary how we become attached to certain things. What cerebral wiring differentiates the hoarder from the minimalist? Is the minimalist happier and freer and more imaginative? I am inclined to think so. Just the fact that I have this unhealthy desire to hoard these bright smooth gems, makes me realize that it is time to deplete my inventory and move on.
I'm a visual person, and until a couple of years ago when I experienced two large tears in my retina, I had always taken my eyesight for granted. Growing up in Morristown, NJ, home of the Seeing Eye Headquaters, it would have been uncommon to drive through the city and not see at least a couple of trainers out with their dogs. We always looked for them and I remember thinking what a cool job that would be…in fact I still think so, even though the thought of being blind has always scared me. My daughter, Anna and I unanimously agreed that we would choose deafness over blindness if we were forced to make the decision. Still, I am intrigued, and wonder about blindness. I always feel such compassion and admiration when I see a blind person. I remember loving the Goldie Hawn movie, Butterflies are free, and a short story by Raymond Carver called Cathedral, where a man learns, through his wife's blind friend, how change is possible in life. I have never known anyone who has lost their eyesight, yet I am sure they could teach me many things about seeing.
Our four kids were home for Thanksgiving and there was a palpable energy that could be felt with my eyes closed … damp, brisk air and warm bodies, conversations and laughter, barking dogs and quietude, and later into the night guitar music acompanying a soft bluesy voice. Maybe we can improve our imaginations if we practice focusing on what we can see with our eyes closed. Maybe then I wouldn't be so scared.