I had the opportunity to travel to Cape Cod last week - to visit with family and share our loss as an elder passed before Thanksgiving. The weather, on my short trip, was beautiful and it was hard not to spend all the time we had there walking along the beaches. It made me think of the irony of a warming Arctic. It may be that the warmer it becomes, the easier it is for others to visit, and enjoy, the beauty of such a remote venue. That doesn't take into account the disruption that will inevitably be part of this transition but it was a slightly more optimistic view than I'm usually able to conjure up these days when thinking about the future.
Today, NOAA published their Arctic Report Card. Spoiler alert - there is a lot of change happening right now, today and every day. And it is very hard for anyone to predict the impact of these changes - they are too catastrophic (the Greenland ice sheet melting) or too thorough (whole species of birds vanishing, whole species of seals being inedible to indigenous peoples) that I find myself switching from my earlier question, "What can I do to help?" to something much more selfish, "What will I need to survive?" I shudder when that line of thinking comes up - I'm now much older than I want to be to be in survivalist mode. And I want to believe that humans can, and will, channel our better selves when it really comes to it. But I have to wonder when it will sink in to everyone - not just a few or the fringe or those under 20 - that we're going to have to change. The world is changing in unprecedented ways, because of and without us.
In an effort to soothe myself, I turn to my last few days of making and the business around making for the craft shows that I'm in this weekend.
Shameless promotion:
If you're interested in my glasswork, I'll be the HomeGrown at the Cobblestone show on Sunday, 12/15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you're interested in my textiles, I'll be at Friends of FrontPorch Textiles Saturday, 12/14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and my textiles will be there Sunday from 12-5 p.m. as well.
I will admit that I'm hoping the festive shows will take the sting and pessimism out of the long days. I'm looking forward to seeing so many friends - old and new. Even as we struggle quietly with the changes around us, we do it as a community. And it is helpful to share our concerns, and our joys, with others. As a maker, I'm sometimes alone for long periods of time. It's good to get out of the studio and be with friends. It reminds me that if I don't know what tomorrow will bring, I can share and cherish today. I always enjoy seeing familiar faces at the shows. I don't feel badly when someone doesn't purchase my work. I'm just glad that they've come by, shared a smile, and enjoyed themselves shopping and thinking and planning their gift giving for the ones they love.
Hope I see you this weekend!
