When I made that flaring orange skirt years ago, I made it thinking I would use it in an art project.
The idea was lovely, it had bright orange tulle, with infused dark pink. I never wore it but it stayed in the closet for years. I couldn’t part with it.
One year, my childhood friend Kira said, you know? I really like that skirt! I thought it was perfect for her too. I mailed it to her.
Never in a million years did I think that skirt would be worn in victory over Kira’s battle with double mastectomy breast cancer at National Breast Cancer awareness events. It really was like it was initially made for her. The connections of both worlds. The past, the present, art and community. It’s a thing to behold sometimes.
One year in middle school, I caught the sun bouncing off her bright springy curls as we waited to get into the gym to start basketball practice. Never in a million years did I think I’d still know her mid life, or watch her so valiantly fight and win against a deadly cancer. Sometimes these events are an important aspect in anchoring me to a timeless self, no matter how much it changes through the years.
