Day 278... Hands

Yes hands.  I remember looking carefully at my hands when I was about 17 and seeing that they did in fact look like a woman's hands.  Now of course they look like an older woman's hands - rangy, a bit wrinkled, protruding veins and somewhat bony and those dreaded spots.  Since officially calling myself an artist some years ago they are especially valuable to me.  But they are growing older along with me.  So they hurt more and can do less but I won't let that hold me back .

What I can't do (easily) anymore:  open jars, button tiny buttons, find that little flap/tag on my jeans zipper when it's stuck at the bottom, hold the weight of a large and heavy pot or pan single handedly, use child proof anything, tolerate the cold...
A few years ago I contributed an essay to a blog I shared with some Etsy friends.  I think this best describes what I will always appreciate about hands :

"The Indispensable Tool

I have found a tool I cannot live without. It is readily available, versatile, easy to maintain and with the right care - it lasts a lifetime. It is absolutely irreplaceable and there is nothing else that can replicate it's use in capability, versatility and utility. And, the bonus is that it has so many uses over and above my art work. I find it useful in social situations - it assists me in expressing a point of view. It has actually been critical to my family's well-being in countless ways (especially with the kids). It's great for travel as it is often a key component to any trip (most especially in a car). It is one of my most productive tools and I always keep it handy wherever I go. It's getting a bit old now but there is nothing to take its place.
With the right care I am sure I can keep each and use them for my lifetime."     from HHU June 10, 2010
   
I've told my daughter if there is ever a time I become so old I need a wheel chair and am confined to spaces that accommodate that wheel chair to just make sure I can wheel myself to a large tabletop desk with art supplies, a large dictionary (I love words) and with any device I can use (who knows what technology will be available by then) to continue to explore and stay in touch with the world.  It may take longer but it will still be my hands that can bring me to projects, places and people I want to spend my precious time with.