Olivia sat at the kitchen table. Her six-year-old hand held a pink Crayola marker. The marker moved across the paper. Its strokes brought her imagination to life. I spied a smile as it curled on her cheek.
Stasha and Her Perspective
Perspective that brought whimsy to the ordinary
Perspective that brought me depth
Perspective that gave me strength
Perspective that allowed me to share the real me
Perspective that had more layers then she knew…
Spreading Cupcakes
Whenever…If Ever
Let’s Talk Cupcakes
I first wrote about Kirsten from TheKir Corner during one of my very first Talking to Strangers posts. Kirsten had written about and her cupcakes back in November. I was moved by her post comparing her comments to cupcakes. She wrote words like:
“…they are an instant celebration in a small paper cup.” “I believe our stories are our cakes, our attempts at baking from scratch and setting it on the table so everyone can look at and admire it. We want our guests to enjoy the dessert we offer, to smack their lips and lick their forks, satisfied with our effort. “A dainty yet delectable slice of my heart that I give you in exchange for the stories and secrets you have made and shared with me.”
She even went on to share, “I may not be good at a lot of things, but I can promise you that if I read your words, I will never leave your space without leaving a whole lot of sweetness behind.”
She moved me. She inspired me. She inspired me to also want to share kindness, positive words, meaningful words that would bring a smile or even happiness to someones’ day. A twitter account @inapaperwrapper, a whole 632 tweets, a Pinterest board and six weeks after it started my mission to spread cupcakes was smooshed and I was pooped! I LOVED what the cupcakes did for others… If I was on Twitter and I saw that a mom or twitter friend was having a bad day, grumping about mom stuff or just down I would sent out a tweet with a link to something (usually a cupcake) that would cheer them up. It was so much fun to do and it made me feel good. Unfortunately it was just too much and after about six weeks I stopped doing it. I was disappointed to say the least.
Fast forward to a week ago…I was checking my email and I saw that Kirsten has left me a comment on one of my posts. I excitedly read it and there it is again….
Her words, her….
How did she put it? Oh yes, “A dainty yet delectable slice of my heart that I give you in exchange for the stories and secrets you have made and shared with me.” With tears of happiness welling in my eyes and a full blown #HeyGirl Ryan Gosling addition I was inspired all over again…
Brandi and Her Colors
Shirley and I sat at her kitchen table. We had both finished lunch (delicious chicken salad that she had made). After lunch we were both excited to get on line and explore and share with each other sites we had discovered.
“I found this one site last night. I can’t remember the name but I loved its colors and simplicity,” I rambled happily.
“I found one too, by some artist I think. It’s so clean and she’s great at using color. I can’t remember her name!” She giggled.
That day we both came upon her sight separately. We were both instantly taken. Her site was simple, clean and had a perfect use of color. In short we were in awww.
It was one of the first blogs I subscribed to. Her pictures matched with beautiful color palates began to arrive at my inbox. I wanted to learn. I wanted to see if I could catch, bottle or learn just a smidge of skill she had by watching her. I loved seeing what she was going to capture next and I admired her ability to find beautiful colors in everything.
As time passed I began to notice that this artist’s blog was far more then color palettes. She wove stories and memories in with her pictures. I continued admirer her as she shared the lessons she was learning. Her hunger for learning and self-discovery oozed off the screen. She was a seeker of knowledge and so passionate about it. It inspired me.
The holidays came along and I got to travel with her as she shared her visits with family. I giggled and smiled as she shared stories of visits with her sister, niece and nephew. It didn’t take long for us to connect on twitter. We began to tweet more and more. I felt like I had a new sister…forever kind, passionately supportive, thoughtful, understanding, warm and a truly wonderful person.
I subscribed to her blog so I could learn from this stranger…instead I found a friend who taught me about the colors all around me and all the beauty there is to be found in unexpected places!