True Genius Essay Contest Second Place Winner!

Reclaimed Wool

By Jodi Counsil

One morning, in frustration over my lack of ideas, I got up and said "Today I will find a great idea no matter what!" I decided I would go outside, and vowed I would not come home until I was struck with brilliance.

I bundled up and headed up a path to a place with an amazing view and sat to wait for brilliance to hit me. I announced to the universe that I was ready for a gift of creativity. I've always found that if you want something, ask for it. Sometimes you get it and sometimes you don't, but many times the simplest route is to just ask...so I asked.

I pulled my wool hat down over my ears, buttoned my wool coat up to my neck over my wool sweater, adjusted my wool scarf and mittens and sat down to await my answer. And I waited…and waited.

I watched the big snow flakes plunk down on and around me and I reached up to brush off the snow that was building up on me, thinking to myself that I was suffering for my art, when I thought about all the wool I was wearing. I said to myself "Well, I might be suffering but think of the poor sheep that is somewhere right now, half naked because I'm wearing all his wool."

Then I started laughing thinking about a sheep stomping up that side hill, kicking my butt and taking back all his wool. That was the idea I asked the universe to send me. I came home and created a colored pencil drawing called "Reclaimed Wool" with a herd of sheep stealing/reclaiming wool clothing off a clothesline. Sometimes answers are there just for the asking. •

© 2009 Jodi Counsil

03/18/09