Breath by Breath

Yesterday I posted about my caveat to the handmade pledge, namely that I try to make instead of buy handmade goods. O course, not everybody has the time to make gifts for everyone on their lists, but you can still shop with awareness.

Try this mindfulness exercise: pick one of the gifts you plan to buy for someone then sit down with a paper and pen (or your computer). Set a timer for at least fifteen minutes. First write down where you plan to get the item. Make a list of all the people it took to get it there– the shippers, stock people, buyers for the store, etc. Next, think of the item itself. Where was it made? By whom? Where did the materials come from? Continue trying to answer these questions until time runs out.

We’re generally so out of touch with where the things we use come from; this exercise can be really eye opening. Buying handmade can make exercises like this easier by putting us into closer touch with the gifts we plan to purchase. When you buy handmade, you not only know who made the gift, you can actually talk to them before buying! There’s something so special about this– I can’t explain it.

Not sure where to buy handmade? Craft fairs are good places to start, though they can get as crazy as shopping malls. Online, you can find some great things on etsy. If jewelry is on your list, please check out my Fossa Designs online shop.