February 08, 2013

The Three Things I Own.

Elizabeth and Me, in 2011
The allures of my blogging experience are many, but by far the most rewarding one is the multitude of friends I have made over the years.
Some of them I have never met in person and yet we have shared the good and the bad through the tides of time. I take part in their life as much they take part in mine, making me smile, cry and contemplate.

One of the absolutely profound and substantial connections I have made here have been with a Dutch Lady - a truly empathetic, poetic and gentle soul. An artist at heart, inspiring and passionate, she writes a lovely blog called Landanna.
Just like me, she is a foreigner in Denmark and have been my greatest confidant through the most intense and defining time of my life.
Although we only met once, the aura of that meeting will always illuminate my recollection.

Being busy moving to a new home this week, unable to update my online diary, I have invited Elizabeth to be my guest-blogger, to which she kindly agreed.
I hope you will enjoy her candid and poignant writing as much as I do.

Thank you Elizabeth for being you.





The Three Things I Own 
by Elizabeth at Landanna
A few weeks back my "little sister" asked if I was willing to write a guestpost for her since she was so busy with the move to her new home.
What other reply than yes could I give to my dear friend and partner in non-crime and silliness.

Sletterhage Lighthouse
Let me give you a glimpse of our friendship.
In October 2009, Zuzana and I met through her post about Sletterhage fyr, a lighthouse that has a special place in my heart.
Thus this whirlwind of kindness started to visit my blog - very soon we became friends and started writing each other daily.

Some days just some scribbles.
Other days the mails consist out of smileys, when we act more like teenage girls than back in the days when we were teenage girls. In a number of mails we gave each other a written handkerchief to dry our tears or make each other dance in front of the computer to the latest music of our heart. And then there were these discussions in which she did her best to persuade me to blog about that particular subject.
All of this without ever meeting - yes it took us three years before we finally took that step. Still, I have very fond memories of meeting my "Sweety" and her husband-to-be.

One of our favorite discussions was about The Three Things I Own, a piece I wrote a long time ago, but which somehow stayed with me.

"Leaf In The Wind"
The first one is my soul, the energy that makes me who I am, the energy that communicates with my environment, the energy that gives me the possibility of sharing my love with the world.

The second one, which is also my very own, is my body.
My body, the house of my soul, the storage place of my memories, the workshop of my talents, the only piece of my ownership that is palpable. My body is the first merit I am judged upon by others, since that is the first thing they lay their eyes upon.

The third piece I own is time.
This commodity is one everybody has, but no one knows how much time they have on this planet. Each minute can be our last one and still we feel immortal. How we spend our time is very important, not to reach the highest economical goal but the most fulfillment for ones soul.

"Changing The Landscape"
Our inability to survive on our own and the need to define ourselves makes us want to belong to a group of people with similar traits. If we don't find such a group, feelings of vulnerability emerge. Does this mean that if you find a group your worries are over? No, groups and their agendas change constantly, adjustments are needed, just to keep on fitting in. Still, each person we meet might be a teacher we are in need of. He or she tells us something, or makes different choices and the way we view this gift defines who we are.
Finding out what we need/want - but most of all what is uniquely ours to give to the world - is the journey through life.

Normally I'm not one that writes lengthy posts, since I'd rather tell my stories by holding my needle. I nevertheless hope you enjoyed yourself while I took you on a sailing trip through our friendship and Landanna.
Next week my little sister will be writing again despite of all the boxes she still undoubtedly needs to unpack.

Good luck Sweety!
All my love your big sis. e.

"Courtship, For The Love Of It"




Natural Scenes

Note: Images throughout this post (except the first two) depict Elizabeth's art and her photography.

22 comments:

Birdie said...

This is my favourite part of blogging. The friendships we can make that often only consist of letters and photos but the connection can be stronger than that of family. We are blessed.

Draffin Bears said...

Lovely to discover your friend Elizabeth and I enjoyed the post she shared.
Good luck with the move Zuzana, hope it goes well

hugs
Carolyn

Kath said...

May your new home be filled with joy, love and laughter, you deserve the very best that life has to offer XX

Brian Miller said...

nice...i like you courtship stitchery...i would go so far as to say that we were never intended to go through life alone...the people we surround ourselves with will in many ways determine where we get in life....nice guest post....and hope that all goes well this week for the move zu..

Maggi said...

What a lovely post from Elizabeth. You are so lucky to have found each other.

Rahul Bhatia said...

A beautiful post from your friend, Zuzana:)

Anonymous said...

Hope the move goes well!

And what a lovely post - so spot on about the three most important things we own.

Myrna R. said...

What a beautiful post. It's wonderful how your friendship has blossomed. I really enjoyed learning about your possessions, especially since they're something we all own. Thanks Zuzana for sharing your friend and hope your move is going smoothly. Take care of yourself because moving is at the top of the list of serious stressors. So breathe, relax for a few moments a day.

Snowbrush said...

Zuzana, you have such a happy blog!

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A Lady's Life said...

It is so nice when you find long term friends you can share lives with.
I have been blogging a few years now.
I can't believe how fast time flies, although I am not surprised. lol

Mimi said...

Hi Elizabeth, it's been very nice to meet you, and I'm so glad that you and Zuzana met each other and became friends.
Love the stitchery picture with the purple surround.

Roger Gauthier said...

Wonderful post, dear Zuzana. Your friend writes beautifully indeed. I was specially touched by the second "thing'" she owns, her body, and the way she defines it. Our body is indeed our first interface. And it makes me sad to think that Nature does not make people equal as far as beauty is concerned, and that some are clearly at a disadvantage because of this. Such is Life. But when people go past this first barrier, it is a totally different experience.

Roger

Unknown said...

Very nice. I've met several bloggers while traveling across the USA and this has been a great experience! There is nothing like a great friend. Thanks for the inspiring blog. So well done!

Joanna Jenkins said...

Blog friendships were a delightful surprise to me when I started blogging. I had no idea how meaningful the blog community could be. So happy you two got to meet in person and share a common bond.

Thanks for guest posting.

xo jj

Amanda Summer said...

a beautiful blogpost and a beautiful friendship. how lucky you both are to have each other - friends are one of life's most precious gifts.

xoxo
amanda

Sir Thomas of Sorbie said...

This is great! I love the thought of becoming so very close friends through the blog-world. LadyCat and I think so much of you. You are always so uplifting! Have a great weekend with your Mr. :)

Jill from Killeny Glen said...

OH! Just lovely Zuzana and Elizabeth! The wonderful friendship you share all because of a blog post that rang familiar! It is truly lovely!

Zuzana...I wish you the best as you move...such hard physical work yet exhausting mentally as well.

Elizabeth...your stitching is nothing less than charming and your words show your affection for sweet Zuzana!

Elizabeth said...

Thank you all for your time, your kind words and compliments.

My Sweety and your Zuzana will be back soon again.

Have a great start of your week!
Elizabeth

SandyCarlson said...

I am so glad you have this friendship. Beautiful post.

Karen said...

an excellent choice to take your place...I love Elizabeth!!!
http://karenannruane.typepad.com/karen_ruane/

S. Susan Deborah said...

I wonder how I missed this lovely post which features two sweet women I know - Zuzana and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, how I loved the three precious possessions of yours which are assets that are beyond any other material objects. That you have a kind heart and an inquiring mind is seen here, Elizabeth.

The contents of this post will remain for a long time within me.

Thanks Zuzana for hosting Elizabeth.

Joy always,
Susan