St. Linus and the Bwankie

I can’t remember exactly where I saw this, so please hear me say that this is me telling a wise story I learned from someone else.

You probably know the brilliant, comforting saga of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang at Christmas. (Some days it’s hard for me to believe that my girls are watching the exact same show I watched when I was their age!)

Well, the aforementioned wise person noticed, probably the umpteenth time they’d seen the show, that Linus, who resisted all attempts to part him from his beloved blanket, finally did the meta blanket drop, in the midst of that very show. It’s when he did it that’s the amazing part!

Through the miracles of modern science, and my friends at YouTube, here’s the one minute and 22 second clip you need to get on board:

Please watch so you can see it for yourself. (Santa will know if if you cheat.)

Fa….la….la….la…..la….keep watching….just a little longer….la…..la….la….la….

Consider the abundance of punctuation to be prayer dots.

Good job!

Yes! Linus let go of his blanket just as he said, “Fear not…”

Really!!!

Yesterday, I was so glad I’d been reminded of this miracle. You see, yesterday I did my first solo art market/holiday party. Planning. Packing. Unloading the car. Set up. The whole market deal. (Including trying to deal with a *?@$ new card reader!) Take down. Load car. Muster energy to drive home in cold and dark and traffic.

All of it. Except for loading the car beforehand, which the Legendary Husband was blessedly able to help with.

And, just between us, I was more than a bit anxious about the whole thing.

Having people see my art is scary enough. Especially people I don’t know. Needing to set it up all alone was scarier still.

For a few hours Monday night, tired and really sore from too many trips up and down the basement steps and more than the usual amount of long-jumping the Studio Angels, aggravated, I suspect, by a weather front, I seriously considered staying home.

I’m so glad I didn’t!

I set some art prints and cards (and hats!) free in the world. I also “accidentally” sold my hat-viewing mirror to a woman who explained, with tears in her eyes, that it reminded her of one her grandmother had when she was small. And a pink quartz heart that went along to be part of my Feng shui!

I heard some great stories and made some new friends.

I also re-connected with an old friend who laughed when she read my business card and promised to send me information about a local group of grandmothers who are, “all activists”. Sounds like my kind of crowd!

Most of all, though, I learned that if I pack really intentionally (!) I can do this market thing almost all by myself.

The tent is a different issue!

Somewhere, I hope Linus is grinning. The whole “Fear not” thing feels pretty good in the ways that matter most.

Knees and back, maybe tomorrow!

Oh, and just in case you missed the market, or are an online sort of shopper, you can find my work at the Wild Oats and Billy Goats gallery on the Decatur square or at my virtual collection.

For this moment, it’s tea and feet up while the washer and dryer do what we pay them for!