In the weeks following the day I was gifted this little bouquet, I rediscovered something immensely profound within my heart - I know, dramatic. But sometimes it takes a mini trauma sesh to remind yourselves who the heck you are and what you want out of this life.
Let's back it up a bit, just for context - I'll keep the heavy parts to a minimum - promise.
Last summer was stressful in more ways than one, but the cherry on top was the night I came across a suspicious looking lesion on the back of my arm. Of course I did what any level headed lady would do and consulted with Dr. Google until the daylight hours the following morning - only then did I decide to call my family Dr.
In my defense, skin cancer runs in the family and the doc agreed it was definitely worth checking out. Fast forward 2 months in, 3 pathologists and one dermatologist later -still the results were inconclusive. It was highly atypical and melanoma in the early stages wasn't off the table, especially considering my family history. For this reason, I was sent to a surgeon to get a chunk of my arm sliced out to confirm that there were no cancerous cells in the surrounding tissues. At this point - I was emotionally exhausted and not looking forward to another long bout of the unknown. Keep in mind, I work outside during the warmer months, I hike - I garden. Picture a nut job out in a heatwave , totally covered head to toe in UPF 50 clothing , a huge hat and drowning in sweat- I was just miserable. Needless to say, I called into work that day- something I never do.
What did I do when I got home? I cried obviously . I called my hubby & best friend , tried to meditate but that shit didn't work. I pulled tarot cards, I typed up an email to my therapist that I never ended up sending - All of the things that any sound person would do. Then I radically decided -screw it, it's out of my hands - I will bake some muffins . Not 5 minutes after throwing them into the oven, I hear a car door slam shut and to my surprise , I see my two younger sisters roll up with a small bouquet of lovely farm stand flowers.
I'm not entirely sure if it was the fact that they were thinking of me when I needed the support, or just having the distraction - watching while they raided my fridge for snacks like they always do - snuggling with all of my animals like they always do- picking on each-other (and me actually), like they always do - But the familiarity of their company felt a little extra warm that day.
After about a week, those lovely cut flowers were looking quite tired so I decided I would hang them up to dry. - Funny enough, I forgot all about them and and noticed their vintage colors peeking out while working away in my office- perfectly in tact and gorgeous as ever. Then all in an instant, I was overwhelmed with that same feelings of relief , safeness and love that I experienced on that dreary Tuesday afternoon. I remember the way my spirits lifted, and thinking how interesting it was to be human - to be lucky enough to experience a full spectrum of emotion, enabling us to feel love so fully. I remember the inspiration that entered my soul- the part of me that wanted to give back, to be creative, to honor my essence, to not listen to my self doubt- to remembering a part of myself that I had lost- and then I thought, damn... that's what I want my entire life to feel like. That's what I want my spaces to feel like - Which brings me to an important design concept- A coherent design doesn't focus on a trend or a theme; It is simply an expression of a feeling. This is why its so important to curate spaces that provoke the intended emotions necessary to maintain a template for overall wellness.
I think we can all agree on one thing -humans are ridiculous. We require the constant ebb and flow of life to maintain perspective, and that's totally okay :)
Sorry that got a little deep - but hey on the plus side , your girl got good news from the doc and re-learned a valuable life lesson while she was at it. I'd call that a good day! I hope this helps you find your inspiration, even if you're going through the thick of it.
-Dallas xo!