Find a Happy Place

Well, it’s been a tad stressful this week. My husband and I run our own business – graphic design and communications.  Whilst it’s great not having to work for ‘the man, it does mean we have to deal with things like company tax, invoicing, accounts (I could go on but you'd - and most probably me - be asleep by the end of the sentence).  Having sent my QuickBooks file to my accountant a couple of weeks ago he rang me to ask why I owed ‘7-11’ $5,000 (and yes I do mean convenience store 7-11).  Having established that he was not high it became clear that something had gone terribly wrong with my accounts program – being in debt to 7-11 was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.    God knows how much it’s going to cost to sort the mess out!

It’s at stressful times like these that I find the whole process of making jewellery the most valuable for my psyche.   Not only is hammering the buggery out of something deeply therapeutic, I find the whole process of creating, whilst sometimes challenging and frustrating, uplifting.  I guess at one level it’s about distraction.  When I’m working on something, I am so immersed that I lose sight of everything else.  Sometimes this can be a bad thing (as, for example, when you realise you were supposed to pick the children up from school 30 minutes ago) but most of the time, having an escape – a happy place – is a good thing.

Of course, I realise that my stresses are nothing in comparison to what many people face.  Concerns like dealing with one’s accountant pale into insignificance when compared with issues like finding enough to eat or somewhere safe to sleep.   But, sometimes a little escape is enough to get us through.    Some of you may be familiar with Jenny Lawson’s (aka The Bloggess) travelling Red Dress.  If you are not then I urge you to check out her original post at http://thebloggess.com/2010/05/the-traveling-red-dress/  and the follow up at http://thebloggess.com/2012/01/the-traveling-red-dress-revisited/

And yes, whilst the red dress isn't an actual solution it does serve to remind us that we are valuable and that sometimes we all need to find a happy place – even if it’s only a temporary respite.  In Jenny Lawson’s words

‘ ..sometimes we all need a little red dress to remind us of that.  So today, think about what it is you need and were too embarrassed to ask for.  And then go fucking do it. Wear a ball gown to the grocery store.  Invite the neighbors to have a picnic on the front lawn.  Get that novel out of your sock drawer and publish it yourself.  Stand on a bus stop bench and belt out a song for the waiting strangers.  Find a playground swing and remember how it felt to fly.  Find your red dress. And wear the hell out of it’.

‘til next time