Quote:

“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.” -The Buddha

What makes us so exclusive, so elusive, so closed? What is it that makes us so unopen to other ideas and lifestyles? What is it that makes us so closed?

I try to let myself be open to others. But truth be told, I feel that there is alot of closed-ness around me, especially in new york city. The life is an artisist in the big city is over rated, and quite lonely. People copy your ideas, or they attempt to compete with you. I don’t want to compete. I just want to be me, without reservations, without having to work hard, without having to change for you. You know? Is that so much to ask?

But people, as I’ve said before, are always looking for an extension of themselves. People don’t want a real friend, they want someone who is going to agree with them all the time, kiss their ass, and make them feel good all the time. That’s what people want, usually. At least that is my experience with the people around me.

Maybe there are good people in the world, but there are quite few that live here in New York City. One of them, is my friend Karina. I love that I can just be who I am without reservation, without holding back, and just say what I feel, without her getting annoyed at me, or placing judgement on me.

I think that prejudice and judement is why the world is so divided, and why we live such lonely lives in the city. Cities are, in my opinion, much more segregated than suburbs. At least the NJ suburbs where I grew up, anyway.

The begining of being open starts with taking out the word, “I”. Take it out. Remove it from your life. No more I. Replace the I, me, mine with the words, “we, us, ours” and “theirs”. You know? Can we do this, together?

Try this: be concious and aware of how many times you say, “I, me, mine”. When you are concious of that, you can be aware and make a change in your life, so that you live not just for yourself, but for others as well. Don’t just live your life, sour because you made some bad choices in life, and how you’ve got to work like a dog at a job you don’t like.

You made a bad choice? Do something about it. You have a job you hate? DO something about it. Change the life you’re living, so you can live the change you wish for.

My point is that complaining only gives you more to complain about. Bitching about your life, and how you think it sucks, and how YOU made bad choices based on the stupidity of your parent’s choices, really is not the world’s problem. And again, no one really cares. So why make the world know that you are angry? It only annoys the people around you, which really is not about removing the act of I. That actually, is telling the world that you are all about you.

Removing the I in your life makes you open for the change you wish to create.

Instead, go to your desk and make art. Take our your journal and write poetry. Take out your sketchbook and draw about it. Turn your fury to your art, and let it protect you, let it heal you, let it help you….to let go.

Being open starts with letting go of the words, “I, me, mine”.

Anyway, after all that ranting and raving, today I made a set of matching aprons for my daughter and I.

Amazingly, I only needed 1 yard! What do you think? I didn’t really use a pattern of course, because I don’t really like patterns so much. I mean, I like to make stuff up myself. Plus, I do not have enough attention span to pay attention to a pattern that someone else wrote. You know?

She’s such a good model. Seriously, not just because she’s my kid.

So, what do you think?

Oh! I made these pair, because my daughter is always wanting to cook with me, and she and I always make giant messes of ourselves when we cook or paint. So, the apron is for our adventures in art making and food baking.

You may notice I didn’t blog yesterday. That’s because yesterday I threw a party for my husband who’s birthday is today. So there was too much to do, to blog. Sorry. Have to take a day of some time, right?

The Craftaholic