I have always played with dolls.
When I was little, they were raggedy ann dolls, or strawberry shortcake or cabbage patch or Barbie or even glow worms and wonder woman figurines.
And I was not a neat child, so my toys often spread out all over the house. I remember being put on punishment quite a bit because I would not pick up after myself.
I continued my playful spirit into adulthood by creating stories for children. This allows me to use my imagination to create worlds and characters that will inspire children to be their best selves. My mother illustrated all of my children’s books so far.
When my mother died last year from Covid, I scrambled to find a way to reconnect with my inner child. We also were just coming off of a global pandemic that kept us shut in our homes for almost 3 years. So my spirit felt very sad. I needed some joy!
I went to a restaurant one day on my way to see a relative after they had surgery and ordered a kids meal. Inside that kids meal was a tiny Barbie doll.
She was black.
Had an Afro, and a tight purple dress.
As soon as I held her in my hands, I felt something come alive in me. Suddenly, I felt like a child again. I kept her in my purse, and only took her out when I was feeling sad. But I did not show her to anyone.
A few months later, I saw an ad on Amazon for what they were calling an adult doll room puzzle. It was actually a tiny living room that came in about 2000 pieces.
When it arrived in the mail, I was overwhelmed. I was still grieving, so how would I put together 1000 piece 3-D world?
But little by little, I did it.
Did it look like a trap house in Atlanta? Absolutely. But my heart felt warm. I felt like a child again. Full of hope.
If you have been following me for the past year, you know I have continued my mini room building, and I have even purchased a couple of Barbie dolls we have named Harmony and Leah. I always have at least one of them with me in my bag if I go to events, and I will pull them out and film content for YouTube if I am feeling inspired.
But just holding the dolls in my hand makes me happy. And that may sound funny to you, especially if you did not play with dolls growing up. But I’m sure there is something in your childhood you could reconnect with that would soothe your heart. Something that would bring you back to that warm feeling of being safe in your living room with your mom/dad/auntie/ grandma. nearby with dinner cooking on the stove and Marvin Gaye playing on the stereo. Remember that?
Creating the miniature rooms helps to calm my mind. I have to focus, REALLY focus on each piece. The pieces are very tiny, and you can ask my husband: they fall all over the floor! My dog even tries to eat the miniature cakes because they look so real so now I glue them down.
And when I am done with each room, I feel a sense of accomplishment. I also think it helped me to get my own home organized. Seeing my tiny kitchen in order, made want my real Kitchen to be an order as well. I honestly didn’t care much about that before. Homemaking is not my ministry, but miniature rooms help me keep my actual rooms in order.
So, if you see my mini rooms and dolls and don’t understand, that’s OK! This is for me. And I pray you find something safe and healthy to soothe your spirit as well.
Let’s Get Sentered: in reconnecting with our inner child!
