So this morning, I was thinking of some of the every day small things that bring me joy and make me feel totally unique and myself. Two things came to mind:
First, this is Celestial II:
I love betta fish. They are the most underrated pet you’ll ever have. They’re beautiful, they constantly want your attention (and by attention, I mean food), they’re curious and they are relatively easy to take care of, even among other fish species. I’ve had betta fish throughout my whole life, but in particular, Celestial I was more than a fish to me. He was almost like a “familiar” or one of my “soul pets.” He lived on my desk and watched me write for a good five years, until he recently passed. He was a cream colored betta fish with dark eyes. After Celestial I died, I decided that I will always need a “Celestial” betta fish mascot of sorts to live on my desk, watching me write, for the rest of my life. (I got the idea from the University of Georgia bulldogs mascot, Uga tradition. The current official Georgia bulldog, Uga, is number XI (11).) And so last month, I ordered Celestial II from eBay because I wanted a fish that looked almost exactly like Celestial I. Celestial II arrived from North Carolina in excellent condition and he already has me wrapped around his fins. He is demanding, commanding, active and dramatic and I absolutely adore him. I have two other bettas, Minka and Ice Baby, who live in the kitchen, and they each live with a helpful cleaning aide, their snails. (the snails are both named Gary) Unfortunately, just like his predecessor, Celestial II vehemently refuses to have anybody else living with him. He is vicious about his private space. He loves his solitude and so do I. Who ever thought that a fish could bring so much joy?
Another possession that brings me great joy is this little piece of art:
She’s filthy, I know. I’ve tried cleaning her off, but when I do this, some of her paint starts getting removed and I don’t want to destroy her. (I’ll have to get with a museum to find out how to do art restoration – wink). I bought my Namaste lady probably over a decade ago when I started driving convertibles. I consider her to be my friendly protector. Recently, my aunt and I drove my convertible to get breakfast and when we were leaving the car, my aunt asked me if I wanted to put the top up. I said, “No, I’ll just put my Namaste lady on the dash. She’s great at guilt trips.” I do look at this darling woodblock as a friendly symbol to anyone who passes by my car, even when I am not around. She’s also a reminder to me, to stay calm, when other drivers are in a crazed state. My Namaste lady was painted by an artist named Tiffanie Seiler, and here’s the crazy part: This morning, when I looked up what number the current Uga bulldog is, it turns out that the Seiler family, have been the owners/caretakers of all of the Uga bulldogs since 1956. Now I do not know if Tiffanie is related to these particular Uga Seilers, but I love coincidences and serendipities, so this kind of made my day and it’s only still the morning. (someone once told me that “Coincidence is just God being anonymous” and it has stuck with me ever since)
What are your favorite “little things” in your life that help you to be and feel uniquely you? I’d love to hear about them in my Comments.
Are you passing on love or are you passing on pain? Heal your pain and pass on love.