Welcome to Vera Monstera! Movement is everywhere. Step into an embodied world where life springs from the power of play and slow-osity. What’s that? It’s like velocity, but instead of speeding in one direction, we dive into spacious, internal rhythms. No destinations, but lots of sights to see. It means the world that you’re here!
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Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until you’re moving.
This is true every time I get back into my movement practice after a pause (“oh right, this is who I am”). It was true over the long weekend gathering with long-lost dear friends ("oh right, this is who I am”).
When I look in the mirror, I often wonder who the hell is looking back. But seeing myself in a mirror in the house of a beloved friend is a moment of recognition.
“There I am!”
These moments of returning (again and again) are gifts. And the gifts can come in all forms. The simpler the better. It could be a nod or a note. A few days ago, at an art fair, a jewelry designer handed my kid a special note with the word “abundance” on it. Z wanted to know, “what’s abundanche?”
Well, “abundanche” is getting to swing the misnomer “abundanche”around with abandon. It’s getting to think about what abundance really feels like. And it’s knowing when that feeling happens. It’s taking a snapshot of your heart right then (maybe it’s not 2 sizes too small after all!).
“There I am!”
Each year, as the weather turns cold, I have an unstoppable urge to make things for loved ones. And then I remember I don’t have skills for that. I remember once trying to make a wire “sculpture” for my brother when I was old enough to know it was a piece of mangled junk (I was 25). My only crafting success was a series of painted peanut shells that I gave to lucky family members back when I was little enough to get away with that.
I try and fail to make tangible things. However, I CAN string words together. That’s abundanche! And I can send you the video above with a playful little movement experiment for you. Try it on. I hope it fits! Believe me…it’s better than if I knitted you a scarf. Because I can’t.
But I do know someone who CAN makes things. Stunning things. And in this spirit of giving and abundanche, I wanted to share her work with you. My cousin Lori is one of my favorite people and one of my favorite makers of beautiful things. She crafts gorgeous handmade jewelry at Makai Luna Jewelry. Give it glance…the work is enchanting.
My kid and I both have Lori’s opal necklace (given to us by my wonderful Mom. Thanks, Nanna!). The jewelry is accompanied by lovely little notes about the precious stones. The opals are about healing, and “contain both Female (Moon) and Male (Sun) energy. The rainbow flashes encourage intuition and insight and represent your inner fire.”
Yes, please. The opals also support “the wearer in quickly attracting magic and luck into their lives” Again—yes, please! As you know, I’m a fan of magic. And it’s so meaningful because this handcrafted magic connects me to powerful, creative, loving women in my family.
Who is your favorite maker of delightful things? Please share with us in the comments!
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