What mailing list am I on? Recently I was entertained with a peculiar catalog that offered dress up clothes for pixies, fairies, goblins and witches. There were lace up corsets, full-length velvet hooded capes, and wispy gossamer mini dresses. The items were extravagant and unique and I had to wonder who wore these clothes and where?
Besides being curious about the customers I couldn't understand what I had in common with them. I tend to dress more in a uniform, turtleneck sweaters and jeans for colder weather and tank tops and shorts in the summer. Very boring.
The catalog started me thinking what would happened if I broke out of this formula and appeared somewhere in black lace stockings with an emerald green renaissance style dress. Would I be different simply by dressing this way? Is it possible that my life experiences are limited by my clothes choices?
Eric Weiner in his book "The Geography of Bliss" traveled to Iceland in search of the world's happiest people. Besides happy people Iceland has a tradition rich in mythology. The ancient Vikings practiced heathenism a peaceful religion based upon the love of the earth and its spirit. In the heathen religion there are many fantastic stories about one eyed giants and ogres. Icelanders don't necessarily believe in the stories but they occupy the space that exists between not believing and not not believing. A place Weiner calls very valuable real estate. They leave the door slightly open just in case.
The very idea that perhaps some woman reading the same catalog might be the descendant of a fairy and still possess some fairy mischief is an intriguing notion and it's really too silly to consider seriously. But it makes life interesting just wondering about the possibility.
Maybe that's the attraction of the catalog - the possibility. A chance for grown ups to play make believe to pretend that there really is magic. As a child I wanted to believe so badly that fairies existed that I convinced my younger sister that I had captured one and hid it in a shoebox. I pretended to feed this captive fairy everyday and continued this charade so much so that I even believed in the existence of the fairy myself. The arrival of the catalog reminded me of my childhood imagination.
Martin Seligman founder of he positive psychology movement found that happy people remembered more good events in their lives than actually occurred. Knowing thyself might not be the best advice, Eric Weiner says, a pinch of self-delusion is an important ingredient in the happiness recipe.
Perhaps that's what the catalog is really selling a pinch of happiness. A chance to recapture that naive childhood belief in the impossible. I've decided to give it a try, I'm ordering a cute little fairy costume in an airy lime green and I'm also accessoring with a lacy stardust necklace as well as glitter stockings. What the heck it's almost Halloween and just to add a bit more spice to the mix I'm getting together some stories about the elves, dwarves and the hidden people who haunt the remote wilderness of southern Iceland. Care to join me?
Karen Pesta writes success tips for students K-12 promoting social and academic achievement http://www.creativeworldconnection.com
No comments:
Post a Comment