Navel Gazing

So, I hung out with my friend Rae today, and followed through on something I've been quietly thinking about for a number of months. I really wasn't sure until the moment it happened that I'd go through with it, but I did.

I got my navel pierced.

Which, I suppose, is bringing a whole new meaning to the idea of "navel gazing" for a little while. Especially since I need to clean the piercing 3-6 times a day to prevent infection.

The girl who did my piercing was great. Quite funny, and we learned some new things. Things like, if you tense up, it's actually way harder for her to pierce - she says it can be like trying to push the needle through rock. She also told us a funny story about a girl whose tongue she pierced recently, who showed up the next day telling her she needed to take the piercing out - she couldn't have it for her work! (Our question was, a tongue piercing isn't visible unless you open your mouth quite wide, so how did her work find out??)

(And by the way, if you're going to have piercings done, it's definitely a bonus to have the sort of friend that Rae is to tag along with you. The artist, also pierced, collects tattoos from the countries she visits, and hides them creatively with jewelry to continue her job as a flight attendant sort of friend!)

Rae and I went out for lunch afterwards, and wandered through this fantastic stationery store that she used to work at and I've never been to before. (I bought three journals for future use - the company that makes my current favorite journal has done a few upgrades and made them even more perfect!) We also checked out this fabulous clothing shop in Kensington that I'm definitely going back to the next time I have some spare spending money. It sells mostly clothing made and designed by a local Calgary designer. The coolest part is that she travels to India and buys old saris and silks, and then brings them home and makes them into these beautiful, bohemian, colorful dresses, tops, skirts and bags. And, unlike most of your "typical" local designers and semi-upscale boutiques, these were totally in affordable price ranges. And so up my alley with the beautiful colors and bohemian flowy look of the dresses in particular.

I love both of the two photos below. The first is just me, at the restaurant, the second Rae snapped kind of sneakily, when I was pausing for the first time to actually check out what I'd had done! I was feeling full of joy in those moments. That hasn't been a common thing lately, but today I felt alive and joyful.

When I pierced my nose, I did it to mark a significant moment of God's healing in my life.

This piercing is more about hope and joy and life. About moving into a new season. About learning to love myself and be okay in my own skin. I haven't made it to all of those goals yet, (and some days they seem hopelessly far away) but now I have a "sparkly thing" to remind me to choose life and hope and joy on a daily basis.