Archive for the 'Sentimental Saturday' category

Sentimental Saturday: My husband’s portrait of me

Aug 06 2011 Published by under Sentimental Saturday

Sentimental Saturdays is an idea from my friend Beverly, who blogs at PoMo Golightly. She invited other bloggers to join her in posting a picture of a sentimental object or place on Saturdays, and write about it. I don’t participate every week, only as the mood strikes.

My husband's portrait of me

Tom drew this picture of me a few months into our relationship. We were hanging out at his place working crossword puzzles, actively not discussing that I had to head back to Madison soon. (We lived in separate cities back then.)

He hates this drawing and thinks it shows a terrible lack of artistic ability. He probably won’t appreciate that I featured it here (Sorry, Honey). That’s not the point. Tom’s not an artist, and I don’t care. That he even tried to draw my portrait means a lot. It wasn’t something I asked him to do, or expected him to do. He just picked up a piece of scrap paper and drew my portrait, spontaneously.

I especially love the way he captured my curly hair in a few simple pencil strokes. Sure, the teeth are a little weird and my earlobes are drawn strangely high on my head, but it’s still a pretty good likeness. This portrait has attitude, and it makes me look happy and fun. Who could complain about that?

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Sentimental Saturday: black belt

Jul 16 2011 Published by under Sentimental Saturday

Sentimental Saturdays is an idea from my friend Beverly, who blogs at PoMo Golightly. She invited other bloggers to join her in posting a picture of a sentimental object or place, and write about it.

Peculiar Girl's martial arts black belt

Contrary to popular belief, earning a black belt in martial arts does not symbolize the end of a journey, but the beginning. It’s the point at which you take everything you’ve learned and put it into practice. From there, you continue to develop yourself as a martial artist, and can go on to earn your 1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree black belt, and so on.

My teenage self would laugh in my face if I told her in 20 years she’d be a black belt in martial arts. I hated sports as a kid, and avoided physical activity like the plague. I was convinced I was nonathletic and clumsy, and simply loathed gym class.

Those feelings are so hard to shake. Even now, 11 years after walking into my dojo for the first time, I still have a hard time calling myself an athlete.

I’m highly sentimental about my black belt because is symbolizes so much for me. Martial arts helped me discover my strength, gave me a healthy appreciation for my body, introduced me to new friends, and taught me to believe in myself.

Despite what you see in movies and on TV, martial arts is not about “kicking ass.” It’s about humility, discipline, perseverance, respect, and preventing violence. My instructor has a T-shirt that summarizes these ideals. It says:

“A black belt is more than something you wear. It’s more than something you earn. A black belt is something you become.”

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Sentimental Saturday: blue ceramic bowl

Jun 25 2011 Published by under Sentimental Saturday

Sentimental Saturdays is an idea from my friend Beverly, who blogs at PoMo Golightly. She invited other bloggers to join her in posting a weekly picture of a sentimental object or place, and write about it. I may not participate every week, but I liked the idea and decided to give it a try.

blue ceramic bowl

I have an artistic family. My mother and brother are both talented artists who work in several mediums but particularly enjoy working with clay. When my brother was a broke college student in the mid ’90s, finishing his fine arts degree, he made me this blue ceramic bowl for Christmas.

I love the deep blue speckled glaze, and how the opening at the top is oblong, rather than round. I’ve lovingly carried it with me from place to place over the years. Spare change from our pockets and loose change I find around the house go into the blue bowl. I smile every time I look at it, and wonder if I’ve ever told my brother how much it means to me.

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