In America we have all kinds of made-up, ridiculous forms of deprivation. I recently facilitated an event where a financially fortunate woman insisted on calling people poor. You know, we've all said it: "Poor People." After much work with the masterful Lillie P. Allen, she determined that people might not have money or resources, but that doesn't mean that they, themselves were "poor." Like of inferior quality. They just didn't have resources.Oh, but to grow up in a home without a homemaker- poor thing! I don't mean a work-at-home mom. Or even a mom at all. In some families it's another relative or a visiting friend, a sensitive administrator, or a nesting child. I'm talking about someone who has an eye for warmth & a soulful impulse. My mom was a single parent, working three jobs & starting random businesses. We got turkeys from the church on Thanksgiving. We were certainly lower class for a bit there. But she was a homemaker, who cherished our family & relished cooking & cleaning & doing things thoroughly, with organization. She was (& is) creative & community-oriented, so we never really wanted for anything at all. And as far as I'm concerned we had the ultimate privilege: a crafty mama.
So when I speak of American Deprivation I'm referring to a bunch of stuff & no sense of work ethic. No examples of basic-need-generation. No relationship to how a sweater becomes a sweater. We once a had a babysitter - a UCDavis Student, mind you, that asked me if I was "Actually okay letting them eat food from farmers?" Wasn't I "scared they might be dirty or toxic or they might catch something?" My 4 year-old had to explain to her where food comes from & why she, too should only eat organic! I speak from the pedestal of a privileged childhood: so many nights drifting off to the sound of a whirring Singer machine from which appeared blankets, dresses, toys. Not an abundance, she was exhausted after all. But enough.
So that is my goal: to produce enough. I worked in fashion, as a stylist in LA. With A-list actors, supermodels & Grammy winners. I love designer clothing. But this is why I sew. To produce enough. To occasionally tap into spirit when I see it all come together. To be an example worth imitating, both in action & being. Not all the time. Not weekly or even daily. But enough. That they can be privileged to be in my home & I can accept being privileged to have made the effort to do it myself.
