A totem (Ojibwe dodaem) is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe.
Sometimes no matter how consumed you are in other creating projects or life – a daily create just screams “do it”. I find the daily creates spark in stretching by doing and going outside of something I wasn’t really thinking of and in some, hitting a note of reflection or memory that drives to making a creation.
Todays daily, #1518 was one of those memory reflection prompts. Seeing others posts and the personal statements attached to otherwise unnoticed objects reminded me of my own. Sure did take me to some very great memory moments and the more I thought, the more I realized all the threads and connects of this one tiny object.
I carry my flying pig charm in my wallet. It goes with me where ever I am.
The charm was a gift from the love of my life. About 1995 he had become interested in Harley Davidson motorcycles and riding. I joined his interest and we took the motorcycle safety course and got our cycle licenses. We started with one bike and within a year we each had our own. Part of the Harley culture is pigs – or more appropriately HOGS. About this same time he was launching a business of his own in software development consulting. Dreams and plans were more than abundant. It was a challenging and stressful time – but also an exciting time of our life. We spent many an evening on the patio with drink in hand building the dreams of our future for family, home, and work.
As a Christmas gift to each family member, he gave us the charm and then read the poem to us. A reminder for us all to keep and never stop dreaming.
When Pigs Fly
By Sandra Boynton
I know you for a dreamer
Cause I’ve been a dreamer too
You got that faraway look in your searching eyes
And a heart that’s steady and true
I think I know what you’re looking for
In the endless blue of the sky
You wait for the time when pigs fly
Get out here somebody tell you that dreams are nothing but air
Did I hear somebody try to say
That imagination will take you nowhere
If anyone says it can’t be done
As the time just simply reply
It’s a beautiful thing when pigs fly
You never know and it will be
But they’ll surely come around
Flashes of pink and flashes of gold
And a distant and joyful sound when pigs fly
I know for a dreamer, cause I’ve been a dreamer too
You got that faraway look in your searching eyes
And a heart that’s steady and true
Are we suddenly seeing a dozen or more
Sailing in the clear blue sky?
The time has come when pigs fly
Yeah, it’s a beautiful thing when pigs fly
After that gift to us all, the flying pig became one of the themes of collecting for him and for the rest of us to find as gifts to him. Flying pigs pop up in many places of our home in different ways. We have a collection of flying pigs that hang out in our morning room, yard ornaments, containers, artwork, and more. Hopefully I have been able to keep all these around tastefully in different places. I don’t think our home looks like a flying pig farm! Maybe someone who visits will be kind enough to comment as to whether we have gone too far or remain obsessed yet tastefully creative in our inclusion and presentation.
But – the little charm started it all. While I know I always have it with me, as time has gone on I don’t always think of it. The prompt today reminded me to take the time to remember. And what I am now remembering is the connects this little pig has given me. First, it gave me an insight to my husbands thoughts during a certain time of his life. He is not one who can easily share his deepest thoughts – but is a very deep and complex thinker.
The flying pig has been a thread for more than 20 years now. I see my girls find them for their dad and enjoy his reactions when they give him a new object. For all in the family – his sister, my sister and niece, even myself – the flying pig is a way we connect with him and show our love and happiness that he is a part of our lives.
In writing this post and finding the poem again, I discovered it was written by Sandra Boynton – a children’s writer. We are awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild in April. For the holidays this year I started the building of the library for Baby V. (we won’t know who they are until they arrive!) and several of the books were by Sandra Boynton. So now our new little angel is already connected to the Flying Pig!
The flying pig and the poem also connect me with others. You can read how here via a picture and blog post by Kate Ter Haar.
The following photo is from @katerhaar
Photo by Kate Ter Haar : https://www.flickr.com/photos/katerha/14669346981
Take a look at Kate’s blog. Her wit and creativity of combining words with photos in her posts is worth the time ten fold. A great pleasure to view and read. She is a true digital storyteller. Kate and I connected in 2009 thru the 365 Photo group which has grown now to over 1700 members in 2016. It was about 200 in 2009. Many of those who started in 2008 with the group are still active posters. I need to get into the posting habit again, but it is still one of my favorite places for picture viewing.
And yet another great memory and connect of the flying pig – my parents. My mom was one to love a theme and use it as a connect. My dad – always a one to do so as well. In taking the picture for the daily create I placed the charm on a cheese box I had found about a year ago for Dixie cheese. My mom’s name was Dixie and she loved cheese – another family tradition and joke -“never enough cheese”!
Today’s daily create was one of those personal connections. It also is a reminder to self that creating daily is important. Some days it will be for skill building, some for stretching outside my box, and some for the joy and reflection or remembering past creates and connects and how experiences and creating enrich and make us the complex and interesting people we all are in life.
May you too see the day that pigs fly.
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