"Well we all have a face that we hide away forever,
and we take them out and show ourselves when everyone has gone.
Some are satin, some are steel, some are silk, & some are leather.
They're the faces of the stranger, but we love to try them on"
-- Billy Joel, The Stranger
That Sunday, June 22nd, we made masks.
It was our third or fourth meeting, and only five women came: L, T, P, ? and me.
Despite the small group, or perhaps because of it, the atmosphere was conducive to intimate conversation.
It's funny; by making virtual masks, we revealed what lies behind our very real, albeit invisible, masks.
The facilitator brought markers, and feathers, string, and... sparkly pipe-cleaners.
I immediately chose a few sparkly pipe-cleaners and quickly cut them to size/shape: sparkly gold pipe-cleaners to line my eyes, and form my eyebrows; sparkly red pipe-cleaners to form round circles, for my cheeks. Then I lined the opening for my eyes with translucent green cellophane. I attached t'chelet (periwinkle blue) string to either side, to tie the mask over my eyes.
What does my mask mean? It's simple.
The pipe-cleaners represent my energy, and joy. They are the dominant features, and I want my mask to reflect that. The green cellophane represents the thin, almost invisible, layer that hides my eyes, so you can't look too deep, and see the pain that is within. The t'chelet strings represent the tears, that sometimes escape, despite the smiling veneer.
I wear my mask, so people smile when they see me.
I wear my mask, so people talk to me with joy.
I wear my mask, so people treat me like I'm going to live forever.
I wear my mask, because I like the way it looks on me.
I wear my mask, because that's what I want to see when I look in the mirror!
Please daven (or send happy, healing thoughts) for RivkA bat Teirtzel.
With love and optimism,
RivkA
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