By Patricia

Here we are, almost two months into a global emergency lockdown. We become more and more accustomed to our immediate surrounding.  We develop new hobbies or pick up old ones and begin to explore for a faultless corner of our house so that we can lose ourselves into something out of our comfort zone. We try to reinvent our daily living space into something new, if only to feel a little less confined as we are still standing in solidarity together.

We all have a list of intentions or ventures perhaps hidden in parts unknown of our house; a list we hope to get to when we have some free time, but free time never seemed to come around as often as it suddenly does these days. Some of us choose to finally pick up that book we've been meaning to read, perhaps revisit an ancient painting talent we use to adore, maybe open up an empty sketch book or simply begin a journal and write about this current piece of history; endless possibilities and good intentions in a limited amount of physical space.

As I walked into my bedroom, I notice the potential of a peaceful place by my bedside to do just that; a forgotten project. I remember feeling as if there was a missing piece by my nightstand, between my comfortable padded chair and my bed. I recently purchased a lamp from Artemano in Ottawa in the hope of creating a little corner right in that space for smaller hobbies as I called them. With life being as busy as it always is, the lamp still in its box, sat quietly in the corner, unlit and uninspired.  With a sudden spark of innovation, the time had come to revamp a little personal space for myself.  And just like that, a brand-new canvas was at my disposal.  With every glimmer of light, hint of obscurity, and a twist of hope, my eyes became speechless. The oriental wave of shadows erupting through every edge and ridges, a peaceful gleam was suddenly overflowing at every corner.  Its soft and unexpected outburst of silky and faint projected sunset-like colors began a hurricane of restful awareness right at the center of my heart.

How a simple desk lamp ignited such a spectrum of possibilities is unambiguously astonishing.  We often underestimate the hidden motive of a commodity.  Though its winding and floral design initially caught my eyes, I never anticipated its power of light. 

That afternoon, I comfortably sat on my favorite chair and determinately continued a colorful knitted blanket I had started the previous season.  Bundled up in its warmth and utterly wrapped in the sweltering aura of my new lamp, I had found a new bliss right inside of my own home.  That evening, that same feathery light sent me on a voyage of the utmost grateful imagination.  

I had miscalculated the virtue of my belonging, and with the simple touch of a switch, I embarked in a sea of inspiration, possibilities, and endless daydreams.