Vertigo

"Vertigo is the conflict between the fear of falling and the desire to fall." - Salman Rushdie

I've been sidelined by vertigo for the past few days, unable to sit up long enough to take advantage of the dying days of summer.  The mornings and evenings are cool but the afternoons are delicious.  Perfect weather for sitting outside and working on the new jewellery project I have taken on.  Alas, I have fallen behind on my self-imposed schedule.  The best laid plans of mice and men...

For my sixtieth birthday, I had planned to treat myself to a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes. As I still wasn't able to wear heels by then, I postponed the purchase for a later time.  I decided the time was November when will be celebrating another personal milestone.  As predicted by my specialist, I am healing slowly, but surely and as I improve, my heel heights have been getting higher and higher.  One sleepless night a couple of weeks ago, after watching the late night news, I changed my mind.  I simply can't justify spending that kind of money on shoes when the bodies of babies are washing up on beaches after they've lost their lives fleeing their war torn homes in Syria.  So I've taken my shoe money and invested it in beads.  I'm making a new line of jewellery to sell for refugee relief.  I don't know how or where I'm going to sell it yet, but I will figure it out. 

I am taking special joy in making these pieces.  They are unlike the pieces I've made before.  No two pieces are the same.  I've been letting the beads speak to me and tell me what they want to become.  And yes, I know that sounds nutty. 

The view outside my bedroom window is changing.  This morning I noticed a kiss of scarlet on the maple tree.  Fall is such a glorious time in Canada.  I hope next year, I will have a chance to share the experience of the emergence of the autumn splendour with some new Syrian friends who will have found safety and warmth here.