Soda Spilled on an American Quilt (Week 8 of Fireflies at Dusk: a 52-Week Journey)

Warm weather passes quickly in the Pacific Northwest so we have to enjoy it now. 

This past weekend my family and I walked to the park for a summer picnic.  The picnic table we had was slanted and it was tricky trying to keep our drinks upright, so of course, I spilled my soda onto our colorful family quilt.  I was packing all the barbecued chicken, chips, and strawberries back up as my husband and daughter went and played in the grass, and I started thinking about the metaphor here: life is a quilt unfolding on a slanted picnic table inviting inevitable spills.  The sooner we can make peace with this and not fight against it, the better.  I found it oddly beautiful the way the soda soaked into the stitching.  It sunk into the texture of the cotton and make this new quilt look instantly antiquated.

The colors of the quilt reveal are our hopes and our dreams -- colors always changing or fading with time.  The beauty is the imperfection, the peace is in finding it beautiful - that random thing that could be so easily overlooked, that frustration or pain that could surprisingly bring us joy.

One generation makes an American quilt, or some heirloom that can be tangibly held, another finds comfort from its familiarity.  The more weathered, the less perfect, the better.





(c) 2011 photo and writing by Chloe - all rights reserved