These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

So I have a new loft apartment in Brooklyn. Let’s celebrate my new place by examining a few objects I have scattered about, and exploring what they may represent.

A Bouquet of Dying Roses.

I like this because it represents a harsh reality; the truth that everything beautiful in life and love must soon come to an end. This may seem pessimistic, but only if you take on that approach. We cannot be afraid to live and love because of this reality. We still have to embrace the beauty of life and love, because if we do not then we will be left feeling even emptier when we haven’t even tried, than we will when we do and these things have died.

"And the soul, afraid of dying, that never learns to live..."

A Golden Owl.

The owl is a mysterious, solitary and nocturnal creature. Why do we associate owls with wisdom? Well, I have discovered that in Greek mythology, the owl was often associated with the goddess Athena, a bird goddess who became associated with wisdom, the arts, and skills, and as a result, owls also became associated with wisdom. Maybe the owl is able to see truth through delusion, therefore able to avoid deception. If so, I should learn from the owl.

A Wreath

I have found that the reason wreaths are usually made from evergreens is because these plants are a symbol for the strength of life, since they overcome even the harshest winters. This wreath, like many, also has pine, which symbolizes immorality. The Greek god Apollo is often associated with wreaths, and was a god of life and health. This inspired the Ancient Greeks to use wreaths as crowns of victory at the Pythian Games. In this case, the wreath becomes a symbol of pride. In Christianity, the wreath with is circular shape, represents the never-ending love of Christ.

An Acrylic Canvas with Cut-outs

Well a lot can be said about this piece. Let’s just stick with the rainbow theme on this canvas. If you didn’t already know, a rainbow is a visual and meteorological occurrence that causes a spectrum of light to appear in the sky when the Sun shines onto droplets of moisture in the Earth's atmosphere (thanks Wikipedia). We all remember our beloved friend, Roy G. Biv, who taught us the colors of the rainbow when we were in grade school. Since I am slightly obsessed with Greek Mythology, I’ll tell you that the Ancient Greeks considered a rainbow to be a path made by a messenger between Earth and Heaven. The Bible tells that the rainbow was a sign of God's promise that human life would never again be destroyed by flood, like the one Noah had to deal with. All in all, rainbows are pretty and they make us feel good inside.

My heart leaps up when I behold

A rainbow in the sky:

So was it when my life began;

So is it now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Or let me die!…

William Wordsworth

A Zebra-Print Pillow

Ah, the zebra. I am thinking about Marty the Zebra, voiced by Chris Rock in Madagascar. He was great. Well anyway, Zebras are really cool… beautiful creatures. Hey, here’s a question for ya… Is the zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes? (Cheesy wheel-o-fortune music playing in the background for thirty seconds). Okay, the zebra is actually described as black with white stripes and there are three reasons why: 1) White equids would not survive well in the African plains or forests. 2) The quagga, an extinct Plains zebra subspecies, had the zebra striping pattern in the front of the animal, but had a dark rump. 3) When the region between the pigmented bands becomes too wide, secondary stripes emerge, as if suppression was weakening. (Thank you again Wikipedia). Interesting huh? I thought so. There is actually an African folk tale, which begs to differ. According to a Bushmen folk tale of Namibia, the zebra was once all white but got its black stripes after a fight with a baboon over a waterhole. After kicking the baboon so hard the zebra lost his balance and tripped over a fire and the fire sticks left scorches mark all over this white coat. Hmm… you choose which sounds more believable.

A Bowl of Chocolate and Cinnamon Potpourri

Well there is not really much to say about potpourri except that it makes your house smell nice. My bowl of potpourri is quite pleasing. It smells of chocolate with a hint of cinnamon. This is an interesting combination because cinnamon is actually used in the preparation of chocolate, especially in Mexico, which is the main importer of true cinnamon. Cinnamon has had a reputation as a cure for colds. It has also been used to treat diarrhea and other problems of the digestive system. I have personally used cinnamon to treat a urinary tract infection because it can act as an antiseptic to clean the kidney and bladder. Be careful though because excessive use of cinnamon bark may cause inflamed taste buds, tender gums, and mouth ulcers. Large quantities can also change breathing, dilate blood vessels, and cause sleepiness, depression, or even convulsions. Uh Oh!

Set of Candles

Both the Buddhist and Christian tradition for candles are similar. Candles, along with incense and flowers, are placed before Buddhist shrines or images of the Buddha as a show of respect. The light of the candles is described as representing the light of the Buddha's teachings, echoing the metaphor of light used in various Buddhist scriptures. In Christianity, the candle is used in worship to represent the light of Christ, which is also a metaphor used throughout the Bible. In most religions, light represents truth.