You Have Everything You Need

 I was recently admiring the work of Deedee Cheriel on a blog called "My Love For You." This bear roaring a colorful stream of shapes just blows me away.

Then I saw this photo (below) of Deedee pasting this image that says "You Have Everything You Need" onto a city wall and I said "WOAH!" Isn't this quite close to the title of this little blog? Its worth revisiting why I chose this title.  One day, walking through the rather activist campus where I work, I heard someone shouting "End this consumerist lifestyle! Buy reused!" and then, the golden phrase: "Everything You REALLY Need is Already Made!"  I loved is instantly and as you know, stole it for this blog. Now, I do buy stuff and I love to shop. But also, I grew up in a family of people who value reusing and recreating something from nothing, and I often find myself drawn to up-cycled, reused, reinvented things. 

Here's what Deedee said about her posters on the blog post:
"That photo was taken at a wall downtown. The bears have always symbolized the Buddhist idea that to desire is to suffer. I think I first started painting bears when I quit smoking, and I was constantly looking for something outside myself to fill up the emptiness left by overcoming that addiction." 

Reading blogs, looking at pinterest, and just being in the world often leaves me wanting; new clothes, pretty things, etc., but its worth revisiting this buddhist idea, and being reminded that things are just things and not who we are or what really gives us fulfillment. Its a bit different idea than "Everything we need is already made," but its in the same family of ideas, and definitely something to ponder.