Pigs Fly! The Pig Pin Award
For the last 5 years, my life has been filled with challenges, hurdles, and fears, as well as happiness, joyous occasions, and hope. During this time, for some odd reason, my love of pigs and pins has grown to have very special meaning and inspiration in my life. Now, as I think about where I was then, and where I am now, I am inspired to create something meaningful to share other’s inspirational moments, to encourage those facing life’s challenges, and to marry my pigs and pins together as a sign of hope, encouragement, and acceptance.
I’ve loved pigs for as long as I can remember, and I’m not entirely sure why. I’ve never collected them really until now, but always admired them, especially the cute, pink, baby piglets. As a result, when going through open-heart surgery in 2007 (only to have a pig valve put in), and then the break-up of my 15 year marriage one year after, I grasped to the concept that we CAN make pigs fly if we really want to. The saying, “oh when pigs fly” as if “that will never happen” is not true in my world. You can make anything happen that you set your mind to. So that is my PIG love. They are inspiring to me.
My love for pins has grown over the years after being given some that belonged to my grandmother years ago. I’ve collected them from places I’ve been, from special people in my life, from cool little antique shops, and have made them a staple to my wardrobe. They have become that one unique touch that makes my day special. They have a way of lifting my spirits as they did with my grandmother.
The story of Pig Pen, the Peanuts character, is inspiring to this process as well so the play on words is very fitting. His story is that he was the brunt of the jokes, always insulted, and could never rid himself of the dust and dirt that followed him. Yet, in spite of this, Charlie Brown loved him unconditionally, accepted him for who he was and was quoted as saying at one point, “Don't think of it as dust. Just think of it as the dirt and dust of far-off lands blowing over here and settling on Pig-Pen! It staggers the imagination! He may be carrying the soil that was trod upon by Solomon…” If only we could all have the same attitude toward others that are different from us.
Pig-Pen is special to me because I experienced the same type of insults while growing up. I was the skinny kid, the one with glasses and braces, and longed for the female curves that all of my girlfriends had. However, having that experience made me who I am today. It taught me to respect others, be considerate, and to embrace those who are different.
My motto is:
P.I.G.
Persistence – Remember to stand firm in your beliefs, resolutely committing yourself to following your dreams.
Integrity – Stay strong and committed to your personal code of moral and artistic values.
Grace – Remember to be thoughtful and kind in all that you do, giving careful consideration to the feelings of others.
So my creative juices are flowing and I am going to create The Pig Pin Awards. It is a work in progress at this point, but my goal is to use this motto as my criteria for recognizing someone who I see, hear of, or come across in life that displays at any given moment the qualities in this motto. That person, whether it is someone I know personally or not, will receive a personal note and a pin thanking them for their contribution to the quality of other people’s lives. There will also be a blog entry about their special award. I hope to be able to design a special “PIG PIN” especially for this purpose. It will be quirky, yet loveable, as well as inspiring and it will state very confidently that Pigs Fly! Because they can if you want them to badly enough.
I’ve loved pigs for as long as I can remember, and I’m not entirely sure why. I’ve never collected them really until now, but always admired them, especially the cute, pink, baby piglets. As a result, when going through open-heart surgery in 2007 (only to have a pig valve put in), and then the break-up of my 15 year marriage one year after, I grasped to the concept that we CAN make pigs fly if we really want to. The saying, “oh when pigs fly” as if “that will never happen” is not true in my world. You can make anything happen that you set your mind to. So that is my PIG love. They are inspiring to me.
My love for pins has grown over the years after being given some that belonged to my grandmother years ago. I’ve collected them from places I’ve been, from special people in my life, from cool little antique shops, and have made them a staple to my wardrobe. They have become that one unique touch that makes my day special. They have a way of lifting my spirits as they did with my grandmother.
The story of Pig Pen, the Peanuts character, is inspiring to this process as well so the play on words is very fitting. His story is that he was the brunt of the jokes, always insulted, and could never rid himself of the dust and dirt that followed him. Yet, in spite of this, Charlie Brown loved him unconditionally, accepted him for who he was and was quoted as saying at one point, “Don't think of it as dust. Just think of it as the dirt and dust of far-off lands blowing over here and settling on Pig-Pen! It staggers the imagination! He may be carrying the soil that was trod upon by Solomon…” If only we could all have the same attitude toward others that are different from us.
Pig-Pen is special to me because I experienced the same type of insults while growing up. I was the skinny kid, the one with glasses and braces, and longed for the female curves that all of my girlfriends had. However, having that experience made me who I am today. It taught me to respect others, be considerate, and to embrace those who are different.
My motto is:
P.I.G.
Persistence – Remember to stand firm in your beliefs, resolutely committing yourself to following your dreams.
Integrity – Stay strong and committed to your personal code of moral and artistic values.
Grace – Remember to be thoughtful and kind in all that you do, giving careful consideration to the feelings of others.
So my creative juices are flowing and I am going to create The Pig Pin Awards. It is a work in progress at this point, but my goal is to use this motto as my criteria for recognizing someone who I see, hear of, or come across in life that displays at any given moment the qualities in this motto. That person, whether it is someone I know personally or not, will receive a personal note and a pin thanking them for their contribution to the quality of other people’s lives. There will also be a blog entry about their special award. I hope to be able to design a special “PIG PIN” especially for this purpose. It will be quirky, yet loveable, as well as inspiring and it will state very confidently that Pigs Fly! Because they can if you want them to badly enough.
So, how is the work coming on the awards?
ReplyDeleteLove P.I.G.