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Tag Archives: beauty

Beauty

14 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Think

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beauty, gummy bears, joy, mason jar, vitamins

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Why, yes, that is a jar of gummy bear vitamins on my counter, thanks for noticing. :) That little jar sums up a lot about what is important to me.

I take those gummy vitamins as part of a regimen designed to give my bones and joints the best chance to get stronger. With severe osteoporosis and four spinal fractures at age 35 (here’s why), stronger bones are a priority for me. Given the choice between capsules the size of small submarines that give me fish breath, and yummy cranberry orange-flavored treats that make me smile, I’m going with a handful of gummy bears every time.

I’m a lot better about remembering to take my vitamins if they’re sitting out where I can see them. And while the gummy bear vitamin industry has my wholehearted approval, their packaging efforts leave a lot to be desired. Vitamins in an industrial-sized plastic bottle make me think about hospitals and bone scans. Translucent orange gummy bears in a mason jar make me think about giggling kids and making jam. Pretty easy choice.

Even taking your vitamins is an opportunity to choose joy and beauty. A lot of life’s challenges are non-negotiable, but the way we receive them is completely in our hands. I choose gummy bears and mason jars because I don’t get a choice about broken bones and sick days. All of us have adult-size problems to deal with, but we don’t have to abandon fun or settle for the status quo while we do it.

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Change

09 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by createdforjoy in Think

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autumn, beauty, change, leaves, think, transition

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Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot

To borrow from writer/filmmaker Gordon Parks, half past autumn has arrived. I love this time of year. It seems obvious that I should hold some extra regard for my seasonal namesake, spring, and I do still love those months of buds and blossoms. But as the years go by, I find my allegiance shifting to autumn: trees the color of fire, the arrival of honeycrisp apples and little white pumpkins, the rustle of wind through dry leaves like the too-loud whisper of a 4-year-old in church. If I had to choose one example of how color moves me, it would be of a brilliant scarlet maple in early November.

There is also something to be said for this time of year that manages to be both riotous and predictable. For those of us who crave action, there is the daily shift from green to yellow, orange to brown; the potential for clouds that start cold and heavy to drop some sunshine in your lap a short time later. But if your favorite bedtime story has always been the one where you know the ending, then autumn is such a nice idea — much more comforting than leaping headfirst into the winter snow while your feet are still on hot summer grass.

I value transition more than I used to. I appreciate it when life gives me the chance to catch my breath and think, evaluate what’s happening now and make some choices. In my twenties, the word “gradual” felt about as inviting as cardboard and saltines. Now I find myself more inclined to set my internal cruise control to “one day at a time, thank you very much.” :) There is a heady sort of promise in newness and birth, but, for me, there is also much hope in the notion that all this change and growth are actually leading somewhere beautiful.

They must often change, who would be constant in happiness or wisdom. ~ Confucius

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