Apparently, according to my instagram feed, there is a Kindness Day.
I would sign a petition to make everyday Kindness Day if one came around.
Like a goldfish in their aquarium who doesn’t distinguish the water- I feel as though I live in a little pool of kindness and synchronicity.
Not withstanding my full knowledge of the wider world who would light a petition for Kindness on fire, I feel very grateful for the little aquarium I am in – here’s why…
I stood in this barn for three days.
You could be mistaken for assuming it was only to sell the cyanotypes, my book and wreaths— sure I sold a lot.
But that wasn’t really my motivation for staying. Because of how they have structured it- there is no table fee but a percentage of sales and customers pay for the things they have chosen on their way out of the barn. So as a vendor – you don’t need to be there.
It can feel weird for people to walk around picking stuff up and not paying right away. One woman who bought two of my cards – said to me after I explained how it all worked… “but you’re checking right?” insinuating that Bilston might rip me off. “No I trust that it will all work out.” I explained that I had run a successful flower stand on the honour system and shared some stories from my 8 years of doing so. She was a little taken a back. She sited a veggie stand near this barn that had $250 worth of veggies taken, but maybe the person needed the food. I said I thought it was wrong to steal and that there are lots of places where people can go to get food….that’s a lot of veggies for the farmer to grow. Despite that, I would still rather look for stories that I choose to focus on – she was quite reflective.
I believe that in our everyday lives, in all the small simple ways, we will find what we focus on, what we look for, so why not be looking for the good.
So the real reason I stay to chat to people is my curiosity.
People tell me the most amazing things- I don’t ask.
My leading question is: Are you familiar with cyanotype? if I ask anything at all.
I had a few lengthy conversations with some very interesting and wonderful women.
And one man. I never even talked with him about cyanotype. He saw my book and pointing to my golden retriever Daisy asked: Who’s this person? We talked about his golden, and how we can love them so and miss them so. When he bought the book and asked if I had a pen, could I sign it. I wrote: “here’s to goldens, happy gardening, happy being. Lise-Lotte”.
One of these wonderful women shared with me that I was the second mother in as many days that she had met for the first time who had lost their child. The son was in the military. This woman I met was planning to go to the Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph with a picture of this son to pay her respects.
There was another wind storm last night.
If the timing is right, wind storms and wreath season go together like marzipan and dark chocolate.
So I went out to a certain 135 acre Burial Park because over the last 4 years of going to visit Ilse, I know where there are lots of branches which fall onto the roads and paths after a windstorm. The thing is to get out there ahead of the gardeners who keep the place impeccably.
As I was picking up the windfall, I saw a glass vase full of flowers, it had fallen over in the wind….being a flower person I went over to fix the vase- there had been so much rain there was still lots of water. There was a picture of the young man who had passed, some Canadian flags, some poppies in a circle. Yes it was this son! What are the chances? 135 acres!
After I had loaded the fallen branches into my car, I drove up to see Ilse’s place.
I had some tears, it doesn’t get easier, it gets different.
I sat in my car listening to the rain. I reached for my phone; I looked at my email. There was a lovely note from a high school friend saying that she enjoyed reading this newsletter- she didn’t know my Dad was an Olympic Gold Medalist and that she had passed along this newsletter to her sister who lives in Victoria. I wrote back, and didn’t want to be a downer, so I just thanked her and said I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this note.
By the way, the lovely woman who went to the Cenotaph, holding the picture of a son of a woman she had just met, is coming to one of my wreath making workshops. I am really looking forward to hearing more about her painting and to get to know her. She’s obviously very kind.
When I look at this cosy barn, I have happy memories now of three years of a Yuletide Market. I’ve gotten to take pictures of families and friends in front of the tree- people who are surprised when a stranger who doesn’t look like she’s going to run away with their phone offers out of the blue, met lovely people who are celebrating birthdays (6 women came in wearing kid’s paper hats with elastic string holding them on under their chins and then afterwards sang to one of the women who then blew out the candles- they sat at the picnic table enjoying their cake), women coping with cancer, learning to be moms, getting their first job on Monday in the career that they have trained in ( I was able to pre-introduce her to a friend of mine who will be working in the same place when she comes back from holiday)….connect with another entrepreneur whom I admire over pizza in the orchard.
Wow I am so lucky to be able to have this experience. This life of lovely kindnesses, synchronicity and joy.
I am grateful that all the people I have met in this community are so kind. Everyday.
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