Friday, September 16, 2011

The Toppling Tower of Too Much


Once there was a girl who loved life
for life was a lovely thing.
She loved everything about it.
She loved the people in it.
She loved the music in the air.
She loved the smells of nature.
She loved the colors around her.
She loved learning about the old ways.
She loved learning about the new ways.
She loved creating things that looked old.
She loved creating things that looked new.
She loved reading about things both old and new.
She collected books and magazines about all that she loved.
She collected bits and bobs
of this and of that
and of these and of those
in the hopes of re-creating all that she loved
for others to love... and to enjoy.

Perhaps, she decided, she loved too much?

For one day, it dawned on her
that she did not find joy in all that she loved,
that some of what she loved
had grown into a toppling tower of too much.
How could this be?
If you love it, it must bring you joy.
But this girl thought about it
and pondered about it
and pondered some more
and realized
that she can love and enjoy from afar,
that she doesn't have to surround herself with everything she loves,
that she could hold many of these things
in her mind
and in her heart,
that she doesn't have to create everything she loves for others to love,
that she could tell them about these things
so that they could learn about them,
that she could still share her love of all things lovely
sometimes from her hands
or
sometimes from her heart
and still find joy!

And so this girl has decided to offer things
from her toppling tower of too much
in hopes that others will enjoy
learning about lovely things
and creating lovely things
for themselves and
for others.

{to be continued...}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Toppling Tower of Too Much
light-heartedly written and whimsically illustrated by
Lana Manis (c)2011
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Do any of you ever feel this way?
I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You are invited to come back Monday evening
to acquire any or all of the things this girl
has decided to pass on to others.

13 comments:

  1. beautiful artwork, Lana and a too true story for all of us. cannot wait to read the rest.
    hugs,
    diana

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  2. You wrote this for me, right? I am in mortal danger of being crushed by the fall of my own toppling tower of too much. I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only one.

    Hugs,
    Judy

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  3. This is beautiful and very thought-provoking Lana! It definitely speaks to me. I'm always saying "If I didn't have to sleep I could do everything, make everything, I have bottled up inside!" I'm learning to pick and choose, which to keep and which to share. Thanks for such a lovely message today!

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  4. YES, I totally get that. It's beautiful how you've expressed it. I remember once reading a gardening book where they talked about how you don't have to plant every flower you've loved in your garden. If your neighbor has it, enjoy the site of the neighbor's.

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  5. Oh I have felt this for awhile but never more then this year. Having my niece come and visit with us this Fall had me go into a tailspin. The guest/sewing room was a disaster but I'm getting there. Made me realize how much darn stuff I have. Well not really but just not enough storage area.
    I do believe many of us suffer from the "too much"

    great post!

    x
    C

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  6. Your art work is incredibly beautiful, thank you for sharing with us!
    Yes, I can relate to the "too much" concept, however, mine is mainly emotional :( and that translates into me not doing enough for ME because I'm busy doing for others... I must come back to read the rest, in the meantime I wish you a wonderful weekend.
    Warm greetings from Mexico~

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  7. OUTSTANDING -- the artwork is amazing and it is also fabulous how you illustrated my life : ) LOL!!!!
    hugs...pops

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  8. As usual Lana your writing is wonderful and this time you hit the nail on the head. I believe George Carlin once said "A house is just a place to store your 'stuff' so you can go out and get some more 'stuff'...or something like that. I always thought that he was 'speaking me. It's so perfect. I can't wait to read the conclusion of your "Toppling Tower".

    SMiles, Penny

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  9. I think that what we suffer from is a case of salvation... saving things that touch our hearts that would end up cast aside or worse, in a landfill.
    It is alright to purge the items that don't speak to us anymore and offering them to others is a perfect solution.

    (You should try working for an auctioneer as I do and how difficult it is refraining from buying too much).
    Susan x

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  10. i feel this way more, then a little less, then lots! i need to keep reminding myself that i have enough,and that i don't need to make everything just because i can :)

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  11. Well said, m'lady.

    I turned 48 this month and am just lately learning this lesson of Too Much. Better late than never, though, right?

    Love your illustration...sweet.

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  12. Cute picture! Bits and bobs, LOL...

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  13. Re: Toppling Tower of Too Much

    Thanks to you someone's finally put a name to what I've been buried under way too many years. Once upon I was normal (sometimes open to discussion) and the boss of all my dressers, cupboards, cabinets, closets, garage, shed and sundry plastic tubs. Now however, due to years of genetic gathering instincts gone awry, I can no longer crawl out to the light of day. Please finish off your wonderful piece with a cure for what ails me ... and a recipe for learning how to share my treasures! Then ... Etsy beware the avalanche!

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