Jewelry made from bombs, aesthetic intelligence, and Hong Kong tea

The Week That Was

Jun 09, 2024

Jazz Aline is a multidisciplinary artist from Treaty 1, Manitoba. Her art reimagines people in the land and highlights the connectedness of everything and everyone. Sourced via Where Are The Women Artists

Happy Sunday evening! I hope you are having/have had a relaxing and rejuvenating couple of days. My work week was exhausting, so when planning my weekend, I knew that I had to attempt a balance between fun things, life things, and wrapping up a few work things so that I can (hopefully) go into the week feeling lighter. This included walks outside, spending a couple of uninterrupted hours reading my books, moments to sit and thoroughly enjoy kombucha out of a beautiful glass, and another episode of The New Look. In other words, all the little things that fill up my cup and often feel out of reach during the week.

Here are some other things and thoughts from the week that was:

Jewelry Gifts (to myself): I have known for about a year and a half that this ring from Article 22 would be my graduation gift to myself. Made from re-purposed metal from Vietnam War-era bombs dropped in Laos, the ring has “love is the bomb” engraved on it and a small white diamond. I’m obsessed with the work that Article 22 is doing, from transforming weapons into beautiful items to partnering with farmer-artisans to upcycle the metal and create the jewelry and donating from each purchase to clear land in Laos that continues to be contaminated by unexploded bombs - it is all amazing. The ring arrived on Friday and it is delightful, the perfect symbol of my degree in sustainable development. While that particular purchase was very planned, my second jewelry gift to myself was a little more impromptu. While at a neighbourhood market this weekend, we came across Ostrich Moon, a Chicago jewelry brand run by Annie, who handmakes every piece and sources all the vintage beads and charms. Every piece is different! Every piece is FUN! And when I say that these are some of the most interesting pieces of jewelry I have seen…especially the necklaces! I went with a colourful beaded bracelet that is undeniably the ideal summer accessory, but I would do almost anything for the European Tour necklace.
Aesthetic Intelligence: I somewhat randomly came across this article on aesthetic intelligence, which focuses on its philosophical and metaphysical meaning. According to the author, we should develop our aesthetic intelligence in order to “experience heightened states of consciousness,” “transcend the physical and material world,” and because “it will enable us to love life more if we can perceive more of its beauty.” This is a new area of philosophy for me but I like what I’m reading, especially her emphasis on developing our own appreciation of beauty as a way to becoming more authentic.
The ability to discern beauty will enable us to choose what is more beautiful; since the Beautiful, the True, the Just and the Good are all aspects of the same Divine Reality according to the ancient Greeks, it will enable us at the same time to choose what is right, what is just, what is ethical.

Sunday Walks and Yuanyang Tea: Now that summer days are finally here in Chicago, Sunday walks outside are mandatory. This morning we headed to the lakefront to do a 4-mile stroll, and I was beaming the moment we stepped outside and could see the glistening water. Afterward, we headed to Chinatown for lunch, where I discovered possibly the perfect drink… Yuanyang tea is a Hong Kong drink that combines black coffee with black milk tea. I had it iced, and it was strong yet refreshing and completely delicious. I found a recipe online for us to try and make at home!

Palestinian Tapenade: I love anything briney and salty, so a couple of weeks ago, when I saw a jar of this wild olive caper tapenade at the Chicago Fair Trade Museum, I knew it was a needed addition to our kitchen cupboards. The tapenade is one of the products produced by Canaan Palestine, a fair trade company that works with 1,000 artisan family farms in Palestine and focuses on regenerative agricultural practices and empowering traditional farming communities. Slathered onto some crusty bread, the tapenade is bursting with flavor and absolutely delicious. Now I’m unreasonably excited to try their olive oil…
Reading Updates: This week, I finished A Good Life by Virginie Grimaldi (translated from the French by Hildegarde Serle), the English debut of an author who has recently been the most-read French writer for three consecutive years. Narrated by two sisters who have drifted apart over the years and are now reunited to clear out their beloved grandmother’s home, the story alternates between childhood and modern day to tell the stories of these women. While the subject matter isn’t necessarily always light, I did find the book a nice palate refresher in between my usual heavy books and a good choice for a quick summer read. I’m still making my way through the biography Chasing Beauty: The Life of Isabella Stewart Gardner (and enjoying it immensely) and have started reading Some People Need Killing: A Memoir of Murder in My Country by Patricia Evangelista, an account of the Philippines' state-sanctioned killings of its citizens under President Rodrigo Duterte.
A Reflection Poem: Lastly, a Mary Oliver poem I have been reflecting on from this collection over the past few days.
Some Questions You Might Ask
Is the soul solid, like iron?
Or is it tender and breakable, like
the wings of a moth in the beak of the owl?
Who has it, and who doesn’t?
I keep looking around me.
The face of the moose is as sad
as the face of Jesus.
The swan opens her white wings slowly.
In the fall, the black bear carries leaves into the darkness.
One question leads to another.
Does it have a shape? Like an iceberg?
Like the eye of a hummingbird?
Does it have one lung, like the snake and the scallop?
Why should I have it, and not the anteater
who loves her children?
Why should I have it, and not the camel?
Come to think of it, what about the maple trees?
What about the blue iris?
What about all the little stones, sitting alone in the moonlight?
What about roses, and lemons, and their shining leaves?
What about the grass?

How was your week? Would love to hear from you!

Jewelry made from bombs, aesthetic intelligence, and Hong Kong tea

The Week That Was

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