Monday, April 4, 2011

I'll take the rose-colored spectacles, please


Showdown at high noon, originally uploaded by scrollwork.
Damn those glasses! They weren't rose-tinted enough for me.

Have you had enough reality for a while? Me too. I do the obligatory news scan online for a few minutes every morning, but that's it. The rest of my day, unless there's a global disaster, nothing is permitted to intrude on my equanimity.

It's a matter of survival: the survival of my delusion that all will be right with the world, and if it isn't, that I have a modicum of control over any part of the outcome. (I am not discounting prayer by any means! But it's still up to God, not me.)

If I don't subscribe to that outlook, how else could I go on stitching happily away at a frock to free it from its frumpy beginnings? How could I justify creating "art" that won't feed hungry children, only my vain, selfish soul? How could I have so much passion about teaching people to dance, to uncoil their inner springs and be surprised by how they can move?

I would be irrelevant to myself without my rose-tinted lenses. It would be a constant indictment of the hours spent blogging, photographing, dreaming, seeing what could be beyond what is.

But because I choose to keep those lenses firmly clapped over my eyes, I can take risks, make short-term sacrifices, air my shortcomings, stay the course, make peace with uncertainty, and love my spouse.

I can bear the garden's barrenness in winter, the shrunken pocketbook in lean times, the thickened waist in midlife.

I can choose what to build, what to grow, what to explore, never mind if the point isn't immediately apparent, if the checks aren't in the mail, if the blog comments are withheld.

I can finally stop seeking the counsel of others, and see in myself all the expertise I need for the task I've chosen for myself. And in this, I can be irreplaceable, no longer irrelevant.

Do you need rose-tinted glasses? Take mine; I have an extra pair.

P.S.  Commenting woes! I've gotten feedback from my dear readers that their comments have evaporated after hitting "Post." Some get through, some don't, no rhyme or reason. I've already turned off the Moderating feature and spam filter so all comments can post immediately. My apologies; I don't know what else to do. Please leave me a comment on my Facebook fan page via the link on the sidebar if you've had problems. I'll report them to blogger admin. Also, if you haven't already, I invite you to subscribe or follow this blog via one of the methods on the sidebar—e-mail, NetworkedBlogs or Google Friend Connect. Thank you!

16 comments:

  1. Rose tinted glasses makes my world bearable. Definitely can't live without them.

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  2. Isn't it great to freely admit we'd be lost without our rose-tinted glasses? To be at an age when nobody is going to deride us for choosing to wear them? I say yeah!

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  3. Rose-tinted glasses plus the wisdom of middle age- couldn't get any better than that. Goodbye to the angst of the past decades and a wonderful hello to a life defined according to our own terms. Yeah!

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  4. I wear lilac colored lenses. They go better with my complexion. lol. Same effect as rose colored ones, with a plus factor. The world looks good, I look good.

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  5. Sam, interesting that you have yours handy, not on all the time. Different phase of life, perhaps?

    Wendy, yeah, yeah!

    Locke, lilac, they even sound alike. "The world looks good, I look good." Copywriting genius!

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  6. Hello! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and leaving such a thoughtful comment. I'm glad you found me!

    I'm loving your blog and your photography. It's great to connect with others who share the same passions, so I'm looking forward to blogging with you!

    Keep Smiling,
    Vanessa from Optimal Optimist

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  7. Hi Vanessa! Nice to see you here. It's wonderful to know I will always find encouragement and inspiration whenever I visit your blog.

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  8. Yes I definitely believe all of us own (and wear) those rose-colored/tinted glasses. I mean, we HAVE to, don't we? I suppose we all need to pretend to some extent that everything is and will be fine, to exist and keep having that sense of taken-for-granted reality if only to keep our sanity. Anyway, I'm glad I stumbled upon your site (thanks to Sam Sotto's site). I like the way you write and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one (my first one, actually). I'm eager to read some more! :-))

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  9. Hi Joy, welcome to my little virtual tea room. I liked your blog instantly—and what a lovely family you have! I think we'll have lots of stories to trade about adjusting to life here. Have you checked out womenexpats.com? You can also list your blog on their directory to connect with many more expats. I'll be reading through your archives in between my stitching, teaching and proofreading gigs, so keep 'em coming!

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  10. Hello! Thanks for your comment on my blog. I love yours...you have the style of a strong-willed woman, which I love. I badly need rose tinted glasses: I tend to see what's wrong, not the rest. Am a new follower!

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  11. Muriel, strong-willed, moi? Hehe. Guess you weren't fooled by my fairy tree lights banner and lacy lingerie background, shucks. Hey, I enjoyed reading your observations on Brits from the viewpoint of a French woman. I'll be visiting often! See you on SheWrites, too.

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  12. As I was reading, I just kept on thinking "YESS!"

    I feel like this so many times a day, I love writing and reading but at this stage of my life it really doesn't to anything to ease the injustices of global issues such as famine and poverty. Which is the same for everyone with creative pursuits (and often non-creative too)! I'm currently reading a non-fictional book written about slavery from a slave girl's perspective and all my problems seem trivial in comparison!
    I'm even considering giving up studying philosophy and literature to do something to help the world more directly, like somehow defending human rights without becoming a lawyer!
    But it's encouraging to know the rose-tinted glasses have a purpose and are meaningful in their own way, as they keep us grounded to our own lives. I hadn't thought about it in that way, but your perspective offers a very comforting and morally-easing answer to that problem!
    Thank you :)

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  13. Myblik, I'm writing a post inspired by your comment. I want to honor how thoughtfully you consider life, the world and your role in it—without coming off like a been-there-done-that advice giver ('cause I hate, hate, hate those kinds of bloggers).

    I woke up this morning promising myself I'd get to my sewing, so I may not finish it today. I'll be mulling it over with every stitch, though! Talk to you soon. Thanks so much for coming over today.

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  14. I love this post. You are right - rose-tinted glasses may be what I need!

    I need inspiration.

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  15. Well here you are in my little corner of the bloggy world, Jennie! You know those 3-D glasses they hand out at the theatre? I have a bunch of rose-tinted ones for all who need them. The inspiration part might be a little tricky. Comes and goes, as you well know. But when it comes, wow!

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