By: Sandy Churchill
There is always a project at our house—usually some sort of craft, be it painting, sewing, crocheting, or gluing and glittering a present of some kind. Sure, we have games and puzzles here and there, but I wasn’t as aware of the constant crafting on the dining room table until my now-son-in-law arrived so many times with a lingering spec of glitter that someone would inevitably notice well into the visit.
He continually jokes that he cannot leave our house without a speck of sparkle ending up on his cheek, chin or upper lip, somehow gleaned from hanging out playing a game at the table, long after the craft project culprit had been ostensibly cleaned up. Guess we didn’t get all the glitter… big surprise there. I think the half-life on glitter will baffle scientists someday if they conduct archaeological digs on our civilization and unearth crafty home sites will still-sparkling glitter still in tact from centuries earlier!
I used to apologize, but truly—why is this even a thing? Rarely do I get apologies when I emerge from a visit with a home-dwelling furry friend and I leave with dog or cat hair lingering to my coat. And no apology needed! We have a Scoutmaster friend who has a charming way of noting a hair in a muffin or other kid-baked item on scouting trips. “I got a little extra love in mind,” he would joke with a smile. And why not? A sense of humor goes a long way with the little mishaps, mistakes, and spills that simply make us human.
So what does glitter say about the Churchill household? To me it’s evidence that creativity and the DIY spirit dwells here and we are crafty folks who like to make things—from the artsy and inventive to practical or purely recreational. Glitter is the fairy dust of artistic magic, the swirly other-worldly lingering of imagination put to work.
Yes, it can be frustrating that it is near-impossible to remove every speck when cleaning up. (Just ask my mammogram tech when a lingering speck found its way onto the x-ray—but that’s another story.)
But in the scheme of things, let’s flip it. What’s wrong with a little sparkly magic? Couldn’t we all use a little glitter to stir a smile, brighten up a stressful day, or whisper that wondrous things happen at this house? Visitors occasionally ask about the subtle swath of gold glitter spray that resides next to my doorbell, a casualty during a sign-painting event at my house when the finishing spray got clogged and then released a crazy cloud of gold dust onto my sign, my sweater, and the front of my house since I was spraying it outside. No matter. I like to think of it as fairy dust, reminding me that perhaps there is a bit of magic we cannot see, a glitter-kiss that shares a bit of wonder, beauty, and surprise to daily life.
Community Voices for Health 