star flakes
For the past several years, my husband and I have opted to do experiences with our nieces and nephews for their birthdays along with a small gift like a thrifted book or something handmade we think they’ll enjoy.
It was mid-May, and my niece who had turned four in August was long overdue for her birthday date. The poor patient soul had apparently brought it up in conversation multiple times with my sister, so I finally carved it into my schedule.
My niece is both rough and tumble, and nurturing; both sophisticated and feral, depending how the mood strikes her. I decided to draw on her love of the finer things in life, and took her antiquing (along with my own three year old). As we walked into the building riddled with carefully curated glass and fragile items, we practiced clasping our hands in front of our chest to help with the urge to touch everything - but that fell apart pretty quickly.
That portion of the date was rather hurried (we followed up with some Blizzards from DQ), but her joy at finding a little unicorn pony doll tucked behind other items was unparalleled. While I tried to sway her to get the little cross-stitched wooden treasure box she had previously been eyeing, she considered, but believed that she had already found “the most precious-est thing.” And so, that little unicorn went home to be nurtured by her, which is to say, it will live the best life a toy unicorn could dream of. My niece is top-notch in the caring department.
All of this was so fun, but the kicker was the text I received from my sister - “she named her unicorn Star Flake and she says that the name means glitter.”
This was profound. How did a four year old envision glitter as little flakes from a star? I will never call glitter by another name. (On an unrelated note, it reminds me of when my little guy called medical gloves ‘hand bags’).
Her joy at finding the perfect unicorn, and finding a name that meant glitter to her just made me think - what are the star flakes in my life? What are the glimmers, moments of glitter, that are so full of joy that they are the ‘most precious-est?’
And so, a list of my current star flakes ensues:
My three year old handing a vase of freshly cut peonies to his buddy, and their shared joy at giving and receiving flowers
Sewing in our new studio space with the early morning sun shining on my hands
Sitting on our patio on a cool but sunny spring day with a blanket, a hot cup of coffee in a mug I traded my work for at a local art fair, and a cuddly squirmy little guy
Choosing bright fabrics to upcycle a pair of holey overalls
Hunting for worms and roly poly bugs with two toddlers
Scoring a free crabapple tree from the first farmer’s market of the year
Strawberry shortcake for dinner, after a freshly picked batch of berries from my parents’ garden
Bringing more color into my work and wardrobe
Catching glimpses of the birds around our house - the orioles, the northern flicker, the ruby-throated hummingbird - and learning their calls
Printing a large format sewing pattern at the library’s makerspace instead of taping together 86 pages
Embroidering for the first time in months in the BEST natural light
Garden beds bursting at the seams with growing veggies
I could go on. This is just a reminder that our glitter moments don’t need to cost a thing, and are often available just by looking carefully for them, by being present.
As the summer solstice arrives tomorrow, I am holding close the abundance, the light, the joy, the fullness that we are surrounded by.
Star flakes are all around us.
