Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Time In a Bottle

I’m very fond of massage. When several different friends recommended a particular massage therapist, I called and made a Saturday morning appointment. A sense of place is very important to me, as is beauty. When I look for a massage therapist, I seek someone who is centered, fully present, and whose studio space is serene with an underlying sense of peace and joy.

When I parked in front of her home and studio, I spotted some very interesting trees.



 These whimsical bottle trees tickled my fancy and provided a visual treat as I stopped to admire the wide assortment of artistic labels. I have a friend with a bottle tree who has removed all the labels and focused on the colors of the bottles to provide the "fruit." As I tend to pick my wine by the art on the label I enjoyed that this one had the labels intact.



Post massage and in a mellow mood, I lingered to look again at the bottles. Maybe they are a bit like women. We start out with people being attracted to us by our label or our reputation but eventually the bottle is opened and what's inside becomes important. The wine is then consumed. Much like life sometimes turns us upside down and empties us out. But the glass, the vessel, remains. Some bottles are simply discarded. But others are recycled, reborn into something new, perhaps differently beautiful, perhaps more enduring.



These metal branches and glass fruit don't seem to take themselves quite as seriously as a fine bottle of wine in a wine rack waiting to be decanted. They are living life in the now, with a wink and a smile.

Here’s a recent wine I chose by the label. I go cycling and this woman, holding on for a ride in the sky on her winged bicycle, looks like she is at home in her body, experiencing life with joyful abandon. If the wine is half as good as the label, I’ll enjoy it!





Cycles Gladiator Syrah California 2008



6 comments:

  1. What a great analogy, Jude. I like the bottle trees, too, but am wondering what my neighbors would make of the idea. I already have such a reputation in this dry town. LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dani, I think it would just confirm what they don't know to suspect... you are a fun gal! I'm thinking I might give myself a bottle tree for Valentine's Day. The Cycles Gladiator can be my first fruit!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Referred here by Nicole A.

    What a joyous post! I'm having an I-hate-menopause day, and this was just what I needed to read.

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeanne, welcome to Sensuously Sixty! I'm glad some joy came your way and that we'll learn from one another. I look forward to hearing more from you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Living life in the now with a wink and a smile" sounds wonderfully joyful and like something we should all aspire to.

    Have a 'wonderful wink and smile' day um.. week,no year, century -well heck' just go on ahead and have a 'wink and a smile' lifetime my friend.

    Love, Jewels

    ReplyDelete
  6. Jewels, so good to hear from you! Thanks for those good wishes. I'm sending them right back to you!

    ReplyDelete