brighter days ahead. . . new doorprize!

I have been so glum lately, not posting and then posting horrific news. Yesterday I was really in the pit of my grief, but also wondering why these people I barely knew touched me so deeply.

It's those connections we all make. The ones that open our eyes to see the body in front of us, beside us in the car, the bodies all around us as humans rather than inconveniences. Those guys made me feel human when I was in line ordering lunch. It's so easy to forget the respect each of us deserves simply by being human, especially when another person interrupts our path of travel, sometimes literally, sometimes metaphorically. I wonder if we would be a kinder civilization if we reached out and felt the skin of another person as we interacted. Okay, that might be a little odd, especially coming from me. . .I like a nice distance and looooove my personal space. But finding that small way to contact someone, and for a second feel their tenderness, peer into their humanity and connect with the fragility and significance that deep down makes us all the same.

This is the part where I tie the pictures with the words poured on the screen. It's the little glimpses that count. What you see are small details, little changes. The top is a pile of things to be mailed and delivered. Beautiful, detailed little packages can be such a delight, and they let the recipient know how special they are. A small moment of happiness that shares the philosophy of creating a special gift for a friend. But also, the pink bag and the paper with the print mounted to it. How can I rationalize using plastic bags for my prints anymore? I can't guarantee they won't end up in the landfill. My responsibility towards other people is to use recyclable, biodegradable products, so they can maintain their small glimpses into the beautiful world around us. (The pink bag is for mini-prints and small pieces in the future, the bottom image is an empty record sleeve, trimmed and reused as the rigid packaging for mailing out my products.)

{So the doorprize?}
I'd like to send you a small gift. Comment below and on Friday I'll draw an name and send out some Wolfie and the Sneak delights!

What should you say? Tell me how you've connected with someone you barely knew. It needn't be an elaborate story, just some way you helped connect with the world.
I'll draw 3 names and send them a "collections" poster (winners choose which they want!) and several other little goodies.