Day 113 - Need to Heap on the Tender Loving Care

I have a nativity set that is decades old and made of something called chalk ware. It's very fragile and I love that it's old and has been around for decades. It's got little chips and cracks that add to its character and I always wrap each piece carefully before I put it away at the end of the Christmas season. Imagine my shock when I opened the box this year and found half the figures had their heads broken off. I felt really disappointed and felt that I hadn't been a very good caregiver if this was the state the pieces were in. I put the headless pieces and their matching heads in a box and kind of stared at them all week, trying to figure out how I was going to get each one back in shape. Today I took on the project, with good results, I might add.

Old things are wonderful. I like them and I don't care of they are scratched or a bit out of repair. I like bringing old stuff back to life and my house is filled with furniture and accents that come from places like flea markets, antique shops and artsy-craftsy places. The older the better, especially if something is different or has an interesting history. I feel a sense of responsibility when I bring something like that into the house and feel like I should make sure it gets a good home when I no longer need or use it. I like giving that extra little bit of tender loving care and I love being surrounded by things that have had a life before me and will have one after me.

I was a little nervous in my attempt to fix my broken figures. There were four men and a donkey with their heads snapped off. My attic must not have had the right climate for them to survive and they won't go back up there again. I like to think I learn from my mistakes, and I do from lots of them. I wish I knew what I was or wasn't doing to get my health right. I wish getting better could be as easy as looking up a plan on the internet, following the directions, and then getting the desired result. It works for chalk ware, but not for me. Not yet, anyway. Lots of mornings I wake up feeling like my head is about to fall off and I want to reach for a magic potion to glue it back on straight. I know I'm worth fixing, I just have to keep up the same kind of tender loving care I give to those special old things around the house.