Finding Joy: Angie
Story One
Angie was born wise. Looking at her, one just knew that childhood, and middle school, in particular, was just something she would simply need to endure on her way to adulthood.
I chuckle remembering her telling me about her first foray into the stacks of grownup books in the library. Knowing that she had outgrown the youth section, and yet unsure if she was ready to enter the adult world of books, she timidly entered the alien section of the library.
She no longer remembers the title of the first book that she selected from the intimidating bookshelves that towered above her. What she does remembers is the book’s takeaway message. It was a message that helped her navigate her way through the maze of middle and high school tortures. Cracking the spine of that book, she discovered a revolutionary idea. A lesson that still serves her today as she navigates through her adult life.
Angie says that the core of the message in the book was that you can think differently and make yourself feel better. You don’t have to think miserably. You are in the driver’s seat of your life. Feeling miserable is a choice, even in middle school.
Angie grew up in a mining town in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It wasn’t necessarily a town that made it easy for, or supported, a young girl like Angie finding her way and growing into adulthood.
It was a man’s world in Negaunee, Michigan. The majority of the men worked in the mines and women were viewed, by many, as second-class citizens. The overarching view that permeated the local culture was that men worked in the mines, went to the bar after work, hunted, fished, and watched football. Women stayed home raising the kids, baking, and attending to all of the household chores.
Luckily, for Angie, she was born into a creative family. Her mom was a potter and a writer, and her dad an artist and art teacher. She grew up in a remote area of town where she and her sister found many creative ways to entertain themselves during the long, cold U.P. winters. After graduating high school, her sister studied art in college and Angie pursued her master’s degree in Library Science.
Wherever Angie’s life has taken her, she never stopped creating. She mostly used writing and fabric as her medium for creation. However, in her heart, she also wanted to draw and paint. Sometimes she wondered if she wasn’t an “artist” because she didn’t paint like her sister and father who had received training in college and who had spent years honing their craft.
One day, listening to her inner voice, she picked up paints and paintbrushes and started painting. She began with painting small images on 2X2 inch magnets. One day her sister pointed out that her magnets were tiny paintings that could easily become larger, more detailed paintings. Inspired by her sister, she began painting in earnest. She hasn’t stopped creating paintings that express the unique way that she sees the world.
And we thank you.
With Love & Energy by the Pond,
Laurel
