That said - how about some info on what life has thrown at me? I discovered the other day that I am truly a hippie at heart. Born at the end of the 70s, I never really experienced life during that great awakening of America's youth. I had to grow up through the 80s and 90s, a generation X'er with big hair and weird clothes. Somehow, though, I think I was born a decade and a half too late. I have always denied my flower child tendencies, but they came flying in my face last week and now I laugh at all of the things that pointed toward this fateful revelation.
It all began when I found an article by Nicky Epstein entitled "Learning the Ropes" in the most recent (December 2010) issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine. This article was so intriguing in the use of knitted i-cord to create Celtic style knots for necklaces. Needless to say this technique ho was hooked! I sat down that day and knitted an 81" i-cord from cotton yarn and created a pretty cool necklace. I had to know more, so I began looking up knot techniques and before I knew it was on YouTube watching the amazing J.D. Lenzen of Tying It All Together make beauty from a piece of rope. On to the shopping part.
I then bought some waxed polyester cord from Etsy and thought I could make some pretty great jewelry out of it. Well, it was a little small for just tying knots, so I had to look up other uses for it. That led me to macrame techniques. I've been creating jewelry and practicing different knots for the last 2-3 weeks now, with some pretty favorable results!
So what led me to the hippie conclusion? This resulted as a trip to the store to purchase some jute cord (hemp, if you will) and a lighter for the waxed cord to melt the tips. I thought it was somewhat funny that I was purchasing jute and lighter together, given my straight-laced Christian background. I prayed nobody from our overly large (like 70% of the town!) church would recognize me in there. When I came home that night I watched "When in Rome" and absolutely fell in love with the little yellow Fiat on there. We're in the market for a new car and my sights are set on a Jeep or a Mini Cooper. Both very much in the hippie scheme of things. I LOVE macrame. The relaxation of taking things and putting knots in them is awesome. I say "man," "cool," "dude" and other such phrases. I like tie-die. I also adore nature and insist that even as a Christian, it is my sworn duty (stewardship) to protect what God has given us. One thing I am missing is that I really like to take showers.
So while I will remain drug-free (I like my mind being my own) and continue to shower, I am also going to embrace my hippy-ness. I think hippy-ness is just another word for happiness, as it feels so free to just enjoy life...and Fiats...and minis...and jute...and wood beads...and saying "cool man"...and...
You're not alone! My husband and I both feel that we are the 'new hippies'. I was born mid 60's and he, late 60s. Our dream is to own a VW Bus (like back in the day), paint a mural on it and the hubby and I will travel the country when all of our kids are grown (2 down, 2 more to go)! From one Christian-hippie to another...Peace!
ReplyDeleteVW bus would be SO COOL! I always loved the show Dharma and Greg when it was on cause she had the coolest point of view on everything. She bought a bus, too. LOL
ReplyDeleteLove it! I was also born in the mid-60's, grew up listening to the Mama's and the Papa's, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin and now own the CD's myself. Ironically, I've been called a hippie because, I guess, I'm a tree hugger, make my own soap, am outspoken and maybe it's the tie-dye Peace sign tattooed on my back. I scour sites for vintage clothing, wear the vintage clothing and tend to go for the simpler things in life. Peace signs are now so big in clothing, my 11 year old has everything with peace symbols, so she's the hippie, tree huggers daughter. Did I mention I wear Patchouli oil? Drug-free too, but funny how people assume, isn't it. I also shave my legs, armpits and shower daily (for the record here).
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