Do you have a Flossie?

Let me tell you about Flossie.

True story: I still remember my shock when I got home from school that day.

We needed new carpet for our living room and Uncle Ben owned a carpet shop. The plan was to help his younger brother by replacing the carpet that was stained and trampled by 9 rambunctious kids.

But when I opened the door that day and stepped onto our new carpet, I was dumbstruck. My feet were on a brown woven carpet that was 2 feet wide and ran the length of the room. It was flat and rough, and looked like something that belonged on the playground.

Nestled right next to it was a 2 foot wide strip of trendy burnt orange shag.

After that came a strip of mustard yellow with intriguing textured swirls, followed by a sedate strip of navy blue with ridges and finally a smooth strip of carpet the color of pea soup.

Uncle Ben had found a way to get rid of his remnants.

My teenage self was mortified, but my mother, Flossie, made a joke of it. “Well, it’s different!” she laughed. Later she hit up Uncle Ben for some square carpet samples and then mounted them on the wall above the couch like a kitschy mosaic.

I’m not sure how my adult self would have reacted if I had been on the receiving end of such generosity. But I do know that my mother’s “What the Hell” attitude was an antidote not only to the presumed standards of home decor but to anyone (uh…including my angst-ridden self) who might want to judge her or what her home looked like.

That day I learned that it’s okay if what you have doesn’t match someone else’s… whatever. That you can laugh when things go horribly wrong. And that you can find a way to make things work out.

For me, that’s a core part of creativity. Being able to roll with the punches, find a new way of looking at things when plans go south.

Sounds a lot like resilience, too.

Like many people, Flossie didn’t think of herself as creative. Yet every day she showed me how to think outside the box. When we didn’t have white paste for our school projects she taught us how to use water and flour to make our own sticky goop. When the only food in the cupboard was oatmeal, she served it up with milk for breakfast, butter and sugar for lunch, and at suppertime with a dollop of jam. And afterward helped us turn an empty Quaker Oats canister into a cradle for a favorite doll.

Is there a Flossie in your life? Someone who inspires you to think differently? Who may be short on resources but still gets the job done?

I’d love to hear about her! (or him)!

Send us your Flossie story on our Contact page. I would love to hear it.

Until next time,

Yours in Creativity,

Jan

P.S. Our Personal Sand Mandala Kit has 16 colors to play with. Give it a try!