Dance like there’s nobody watching,
Love like you’ll never be hurt,
Sing like there’s nobody listening,
And live like it’s Heaven on Earth.
? William W. Purkey
I am sure you have heard this quote before. It urges us to just get over it, and let loose. The only guarantee we have in this life…is Today. So show up for Life every day, and stop worrying about the past and the future. The only guarantee we have is that we own this moment. As artists and makers, we love to dive into this moment for hours, and days at a time. It rejuvenates us, just as 8 hours of sleep heals and repairs our body at night.
At times like this it is very easy to get sucked into the Black Hole of worry about the future. I learned a new word this week – “doom-scrolling” – which is the Urban Dictionary describes as:
‘Scrolling through all of your social media feeds, looking for the most recent upsetting news about the latest catastrophe. The amount of time spent doing this is directly proportional to how much worse you’re going to feel after you’re done.’
I watch the news carefully and I review all the new information every night, because I am responsible for keeping a lot of people safe. But as the weeks and months drag on, it is exhausting. We need some moments of respite. Sound familiar?
So I’d like to invite you to partake of Joy-Scrolling on eQuilter. Consider us your own private art gallery where you can scroll and enjoy visual delights as long as you like. We do receive emails from customers who admit that they do this every week to take a break from the news and soothe their nerves.
You can also Joy-Scroll through my photo pages, and review images of quilts from Tokyo and QuiltCon earlier this year. It is my pleasure to share these images with you. Settle in with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, and enjoy!
The image above features a dynamic art quilt from the Tokyo Quilt Festival, featuring African dancers and imported African large-scale prints. I’ve set it in a framed collage of dots, stripes and geometric prints that express ‘Joy’ for me. (A photo of the Japanese artist’s name is inset.)
I know that working with art, color and fabric (while listening to music and maybe doing a little salsa dancing) is what lowers my blood pressure and clears my head. We sincerely hope that you are able to find Joy in your sewing and quilt-making during these troubled times.
Sending you big hugs and love from Boulder Colorado…
Luana and Paul
