For some reason, the months of January and February were not to my liking. I found myself tense over nothing, feeling oddly out of sorts, unsure of whatever task I was working on. One day, I saw the above picture on Esther's emakesart blog. It was a beautifully constructed journal page and it reminded me to breathe. I have practiced deep breathing in the past but not for quite awhile.
Taking a deep breath from way down and then letting it out slowly was a sure cure for what ailed me. The lovely thing about it is that it can be done anytime, anywhere. For those few seconds of concentrated breathing the world goes away. Breathing in the air I become part of the universe, and breathing out gives me peace. Thank you to Esther for allowing me to show you her works and for reminding me to breathe. "When people ask me what the most important thing is in life, I answer: 'Just breathe'." - Yoko Ono
Taking a deep breath - I present 'Breathe' - my March BJP. I had much joy working on this month's 'bookmark'. As March came into being I put February and all its ups and downs behind me. Of course it helped that except for one large, wet snow on March 2nd our weather has been mild. It helped that the temperatures were not in the 20's (or below) and that I have been able to get out and walk most days. It helped that the sun greeted me through my studio window more mornings than not.
As I read the definitions for 'breathe' numbers 3 and 5 in my dictionary spoke to me most clearly: breathe to live; exist - and breathe to pause, as for breath; take rest. What gremlin put that particular word into my hand when I reached into the jar toward the end of February? I thank him/her as this was a much needed word!
Because of the onset of spring the various shades of green that greet us when we step outdoors (or that sit above my work table in the shape of beads) had to be used. As I worked on this piece my mind took me into the woods of the mountains here in western North Carolina -- on paths that I've walked many times and on new paths as yet undiscovered by me.
One of my beading quests this year has been to learn new-to-me stitches. For this project I utilized the following stitches: backstitch, chain stitch, peyote, half pekinese, moss stitch, shaded satin stitch. Who knew so many different types of stitches could be placed on such a small piece of work!
"Breathe. Allow yourself the luxury of doing nothing for a moment, or an hour, or even a day. It is in emptiness that inspiration will happen." - Carol Katchen
