The comforts of home… like not needing pants, or drinking a cup of something warm and delicious, from your favorite mug. :)
What might the mugs in our cabinet say about us? Would a photo of our mug collection be an metiforical portrait of ourselves? Does our mood affect what mug we gravitating towards?
And, to an outsider, this special mug might not look like much. Just as we might walk past someone and not think much. “Oh thats just some lady.”, or “Thats just another business man.” But to the people who know and love them, there is so much more that what meets the eye.
Personally, my mood and drink of choice dictates what mug I will grab from the cabinet. Take this mug for instance (The black and white one in photo, with engineering facts on it, that I don’t even understand!) … Why might I love to drink from this mug?
It’s a mug from my dad’s old job. He used to work for an engineering firm, and he had to put up with a LOT of crap at that job. So this mug is a powerful symbol to me. When I need to get work done, push through, stay focused, and not mess around… I choose this mug. It reminds me of all that my dad sacrificed for his family, and how hard he works day in and day out.
He is a “no excuses” kinda guy, so this is my no excuses kinda mug.
During these times of quarantine, I have been gravitating towards this mug (see below). My husband and I picked it up last May, in Paris, at one of our favorite cafes. We were on our baby moon. :) To me, it reminds me of that very different time a year ago… wandering the streets of Paris, with nothing but excitement and questions about what our life as parents would be like, and who our little baby would be. It is playful and care free… it is sweet.
So I asked some friends to send me their “mug shot”. Each drinking vessel has a story that is personal and unique. Without trying too, our mug is a window into who we are, at home, with our guard down, enjoying the comforts of home.
Marcos
I had to look up “firmament” haha. It means heaven or sky in regarded to a tangible thing.
“First, that top blue layer firmament . That color seems to resonate with me on a cellular level. I see it and am instantly and pleasantly charged. Blue in the mystic sciences is associated with manifestation, throat chakra. The throat is considered the bridge between the physical and spiritual dimensions, if i recall. :)
That dirty tan and sexy blue, pair well in a complementary union. Sand and water. We are made of those elements and more!
Next was the shape of the mug, its geometrics :). It has an octagonal body with a circular top. Love the way it feels in my hands. I sip from it like how i think a Zen Master sitting on a river bank would sip from it. :)
I have no idea what the kanji on the cup mean.”
Jade
“Here’s a mug that I received from a patient last week. Little did she know that I was going through a very stressful week with my boyfriend’s whole family diagnosed with COVID. And I was out still seeing a lot of patients from all over, even some that’s been exposed to COVID. So her gift was a breath of fresh air amongst a cloud of doubt. A reminder that my work makes a difference. I use her mug everyday when I do my documentation at home.”
Rosa
Rosa told me that this question was easy. And her answer warmed my heart!
“My favorite mug. It’s 20 years old. My son gave it to me when he was 4, for Mother's Day. ❤ The edges are very worn in.”
Jolene
“Sometimes I can’t believe that I spent two years of my life living in Malaysia. The experience was already 6 years ago, but it feels very much like yesterday.
When I think about moving back into my own place, I think about taking this mug with me and drinking in warm memories of a special time of my life.”
Kim
I made this little mountain goat special for Kim. :) And it is so fitting that she is the only one who photographed her mug outside, because my dear friend is ALWAYS outside!
“This one is from my sister when I visited her in Hawaii, so it means a lot to me. And I love to pair it with my mountain goat tea ball.”
Lopa
The part at the end made me laugh! :) Love it!
“This mug holds a lot of love, hope, and encouragement for me. It’s a reminder to experience life slowly, fully present, with heaps of self-care—all while inhaling the gorgeous aroma of tea!
It’s one of my very favorite material objects in my home, and woe be to the one who leads to its demise! Just kidding. (But not really…) Here’s to more and more love, peace, and presence every day. <3”
Andrea
I am totally jealous that I dont have this mug. And now have to look into this amazing work.
“This mug resembles a character made by one of my favorite creators, the Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. I grew up watching his works - which are technically classified as a “kid’s genre” but are also a mix of magical realism, urban fantasy, and really enforces the importance of caring about our impact on the earth.
Like Miyazaki’s animations, this mug appears to be light hearted. But, when you take a closer look, it’s function actually provides us more ways on how we can better take care of ourselves and the world around us.”
Ana
“They're are both really special to me. The one on the left was given to me by me best friend, when she asked me to be her maid of honor. The valentine's mug, my mom gave me 18 years ago, after finding out I didn't get anything in school. ( I was a transfer student, so I had no friends yet.)”
Allison
Her collection is in storage at the moment, but she still has this one at her apartment.
"It's from the Barn, which is a really cute breakfast restaurant in, Adamsville RI. It's literally in an old barn. I used to meet my Dad there, and we would go check out the antiques next door! They always had homemade jam that was outrageously good.”
My Dad
I am so happy that this is my dad’s favorite mug at the moment. It was a Christmas gift from my son (he was 4 months old at the time, hehe.)
I am not one for mugs with sayings on it, but this one was just TOO perfect for my dad! Truly, if he doesn’t know how to fix it, I don’t know who else we would call.
I hope when he drinks his morning coffee from it, he knows and feels appreciated for his many talents and never quit attitude.