Hearts In Transition: Reflecting on Love
The exquisite handcrafted accessories designed by international artists caught my attention on Instagram. I noticed the elegant neckties and pocket squares on several of the male bloggers I respect and follow for inspiration. I had to find out more about R.Culturi. I was so delighted to see that they had a gorgeous selection of scarves for women. I was especially drawn to this one called "Hearts In Transition."
https://www.rculturi.com/collections/scarves/products/hearts-in-transition It wasn't just the beautiful colors and intricate artwork but what the artist wrote about it that convinced me I had to add it to my collection.
The artist, Joe Paczkowski, explains his creation in this way "This piece attempts to reflect the struggle of the human heart in finding balance and order amidst the busy complexity and chaos of modern civilization. People are struggling to find unity in the diversity of ethnic, religious, economic, technological, and political activity buzzing around them. Amidst all this, the simple values of the heart are often neglected. We are in a period of transition in which the very nature of life, prosperity, and development are being re-examined. We are truly hearts in transition."
I thought a lot about these words, especially this phrase "values of the heart are often neglected." As I wore the scarf and days later I was still reflecting on what it is that makes love real and valuable and how it can be improved so that people don't feel that neglectfulness in their heart. I wasn't thinking about love in just the romantic way, I was thinking of it within all personal relationships.
My dress is from Burlington Coat Factory.
My watch and bracelet are from https://www.christianpaul.com.au/
My necklace is from https://www.7charmingsisters.com/
My shoes are from Target.
My reflections on love and what it means to me, and how it can be improved, led me to decide that it is the quality of our love for others, not how much someone loves us that makes the difference. Often love can be confused with attachment. Love says "I want you to be happy." Attachment says "I want you to make me happy." Love is a mindset in which you are focused on others. Attachment focuses on our wishes, what we want from the other person. While it is true a healthy relationship consists of both giving and receiving, the more we focus on the happiness of others the happier we will feel as well. Attachment keeps a tally of what has been given and received. With real love we find the joy in giving and are simply happy to make the other person happy. Attachment always turns to anger. When our love is contaminated with attachment, we will get angry at our loved ones more than at strangers. The mind of attachment is relating to a projection of mind and not to a real person. There is an exaggeration of good qualities that leads to expectation and ultimately disappointment. When the person doesn't live up to our projection of them, we think "you've changed." This can be because we are projecting a person that has the good quality of being able to make us happy all the time. Real love accepts the person as they are - imperfect. With attachment it is as if that person becomes technicolor and every one else fades into black and white. With real love, the person we love becomes a window to deepening our love for all living things.
Can we improve the quality of love? I think it is possible if we make a decision to love another based on a stable truth rather than a momentary feeling. If we can then understand, develop and practice compassion we can improve the relationship and ultimately improve the love. It's certainly worth it to try. This can apply not just to an individual to another individual but also a nation or a culture. I do believe that so much of the animosity I see in my daily life stems from lack of understanding, compassion and failure to make the effort to care.
Clearly I did find the artwork of Joe Paczkowski inspiring but what I also find inspiring is actually the entire collection at R.Culturi.
https://www.rculturi.com/collections/all
Neckties
https://www.rculturi.com/collections/neckties
Pocket Squares
https://www.rculturi.com/collections/pocketsquares
r.culturi
Find the entire collection https://www.rculturi.com/
Follow http://instagram.com/rculturi and receive 10% off.
When I discovered that the entire collection at R.Culturi was made in the Como region of Italy I wanted to share a meal which celebrates the food from this culturally rich area.
Northern Italian Meal
Risotto, a one- dish meal made with arborio rice, is flavored here with sweet Italian sausage and shrimp. Making risotto requires about 20 minutes of undivided attention while you add simmering broth to the rice, in small amounts, stirring constantly. As soon as the broth is absorbed by the rice, you add more broth and continue to stir, repeating this process until the rice is creamy and just tender, about 15 minutes of cooking time. Then you add the remaining ingredients. We ( a lot of Italians) serve risotto with just enough broth remaining to coat each grain of rice. If you prefer it a bit drier, simmer a bit more. Be sure to have extra Parmesan cheese and a pepper mill on the table.
Round out the meal with a simple salad of mixed greens with an olive oil and vinegar dressing.
For dessert, serve an almond flavored torta.
A light white wine such as Valpolicella is the choice for this meal.
Thank you so much for visiting the blog today! I truly appreciate your time and attention. I hope you found this post worthwhile.
I would love to hear from you. Feel free to leave a comment, question or even a link if you have something to share. I respond to everyone in a timely fashion.
Yours truly,
Jennifer
xoxo
