Guatemalan Worry Dolls

When Clay and I were in Charleston for Halloween weekend, we got to play 'tourist' since I was around.  Even though I've visited Charleston several times and have always loved and adored the monumental Southern city, I had never explored it's watercolored streets the way that I was able to with him.  It's sorta funny - the way that he and I do things soooo the same.  We like to take it all in, go to the little places in towns that make up the funky personality of somewhere, and we both like "stuff!" 

That's why we strolled through The Market, making sure that we could stop to visit as many vendors as possible.  What is one of the many awesome things about him is that he appreciates the artsy things that I appreciate.  I think some of our most fun times together include thumbing through vinyl at record stores and shopping for "the little things" in vintage places and market-type places, and playing soccer in our cleats we both carry around in the back of our cars for "just in case" scenarios.  I didn't know my "just in case" was going to be, 'just in case I meet my new bff who will just so happen to love me back'.  I guess that is what I have come to know as being a really important thing - the actually doing the things we both enjoy, which just so happen to be perfect matches as well.  Ding! Ding! Ding!

Anyways, as we were strolling through The Market in Charleston, Clay was drawn to a photography vendor while I mosied over to a little girly gifts and trinket type set-up.  I squealed when I found these:

Guatemalan Worry Dolls!!!!

Muñecas Quitapenas

I sort of had a "moment" when we were in The Market as I tried to explain why I was wigging out about these little mini-dolls in a Crayola marker decorated wooden box.  I'm sure I made no sense but that's when the little message in the box comes in handy.... it reads:

According to legend, Guatemalan children tell one worry to each doll when  they go to bed at night and place the dolls under their pillow. In the morning, the dolls have taken their worrying away.

And since I can sometimes let anxiety override my natural laid-backness in some situations, I bought two little boxes - one for him; one for me.  We each wrote a little love note to the the other on the back of our message inserts.  It is an automatic morning smile to wake up and see my worry dolls and words of love on my bedside table.  One thing is for sure, Clay definitely has that ability to take my worries away.  There's another very important thing to me.  Perf match again... ding! ding! ding!

The reason I had my "moment" upon my Worry Doll find was because when I was a little girl I rocked this really cool headband (imagine that!)  Haha - I am, without a doubt, the headband girl these days but I guess I have always been the type to daunt the cool hair accessories.  My sissy usually had the matching one and we would bopsie twin around town until that became just 'so uncool' of us.  This particular headband was made with Guatemalan Worry Dolls.  To be honest, when I was a little girl, I used to think the meaning of the children standing hand-in-hand next to eachother - which formed a row of dolls on my child-sized head - was something to do with "He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands..." but I guess I was wrong.  According to proper legend, those little kiddos on my head were actually supposed to be taking my worries away.  How cool!

I guess that's my story about my "little thing" I found that meant a lot.  I've always preached that those are some of the most important things in my life.  I miss them, the trinkets and little 'finds' of mine that I had laying here and there before the fire destroyed my room.  Thrifting, vintage-shopping, garage sale-hopping - all those things that told a story that were special to me.  But, one of the many important lessons that I learned throughout that fire was to not dwell in the past.  Like Forrest quoted, "Mama always said you've got to put the past behind you before you can move on." I've learned that... and that is why I can be so thrilled, so moved, and beyond grateful for the people in my life that continue to bless me with the little things that matter. 

In this case, I am singing my Thanksgiving song to Clay for the fun we always manage to muster up in the most unlikely of places, and for the worry he has stripped from my life.  I can honestly say that meeting him changed my life, but I know even moreso that the little things we do, the days spent without documentation in FB albums, and the thoughts, words, and lovenotes that we share between ourselves and only us, are what assure me that life can be a joyride and with the right person that beautiful ride can handle any storm. 

And, with a little help from our friends (the folklore 'Worry Dolls') but, more importantly, with faith - all things are possible.

peace & love

baily

To those who have given up on love, I say "trust life a little bit." -Maya Angelou