Early this morning I was thinking about my slice. As I looked in the mirror, I decided I should slice this is me. This is what you would see if you saw me today. Now for the story behind what you see.
The scarf: Yes, it is a pencil. My librarian-friend Nancy made it for me. Do you remember Nancy? She used to read to Sam every week when he was a pre-schooler.
Pearls around my neck: Andy bought them in Peru, South America from street kids in a fishing village.
My sweater: A gift from Andy's mom.
My computer bag: A graduation gift from Andy's mom when I got my masters degree.
A coffee cup: It was coffee today, not tea.
My iPad: Don't you just love that iPad cover that looks like a composition book? Me too. I love it even more because I know Christy Rush-Levine has the same one. Mine makes me think of Christy, the reason I bought this cover in the first place.
Polished nails: I love that this piece of me has returned in 2012.
Yellow shoes: I usually don't wear these in December. But if you're going to wear a big yellow pencil around your neck, you really need shoes to match. My mom bought them for me.
Blue jeans: I'm wearing jeans in the middle of the week because it was part of a fund raiser for CF in November. Rarely do I wear jeans to work.
Rings: There's my wedding rings, which are always present, but also a ring handed down from my grandma.
The photo spot: Karianne took tons of photos in this exact spot last year as she documented her outfits for her blog.
It's all those links that made me want to capture this is me. I go through my day and I'm anchored to all those stories and people and bits of experiences that have went before me. Today I was struck by the physical reminders of the love and support I have surrounding me. I'm enamored by the way life is a great big web. Our present is woven into our past, and our future is waiting to be constructed through the fabric of our stories.
This is me...made up of all these other pieces -- people and causes and bits of nothing that somehow seem to be something.
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Ruth - I love this slice! All your accessories and the stories behind them are gems that make my mind connect with so many ideas. Writing inspiration!
ReplyDelete"But if you're going to wear a big yellow pencil around your neck, you really need shoes to match."
ReplyDeleteSo true! This line makes me smile. I remember that slice about your yellow shoes. I have used that as a model slice with my students.
I am also smiling because I am mentioned in your slice! What an important thread in the fabric of my life you have become! It is amazing to think I have somehow become woven into yours as well.
This is me, now... a little different than yesterday or tomorrow, yet always me. It's good to pause and notice sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI love this--smiled the whole way through it. It gives me such a happy glimpse into who you are. You are the people you surround yourself with--and you wear them proudly.
ReplyDeleteHow can you not have a great day when you travel through the day with your family and friends so close to you. Fun to read and ponder, who am I?
ReplyDeleteI love that your writing highlighted some aspects that we could easily see in the pictures, as well as things I would not have noticed without you choosing them as a topic (such as the nail polish). I especially enjoyed the conclusion to tie it all together and add that extra meaning to the whole slice.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice thought to feel all that love as you go about your day, Ruth. Lovely to hear about & nice picture, too!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a slice. I loved learning more about you through your post. And this seems like it would be a great beginning of the year write to do with kids…
ReplyDeleteooh, what a neat idea! I love how your thought through all the little physical details you have and how they're important to you. It reminds me of a "Where I'm From" poem! :-) Definitely bookmarking this in my writing ideas!
ReplyDeleteWe should do this instead of a writer's profile during the time we launch workshop.
ReplyDeleteRuth, thanks for letting us learn more about you and your family and friends. How wonderful it is to be surrounded by them through your accessories.
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