The Only One Of Its Kind

It's been a rather solitary holiday season for me, as my most recent posts clearly convey.

Emotionally, I feel like I've done pretty well with that truth. It is what it is – no use agonizing over it.

Still, yesterday I found myself reminiscing about last year. While some part of me felt a little sad to remember time spent with my then partner's family – taking note of the marked difference between then and now – I found myself smiling at the recollection of one particular gift; a decidedly special thing that I spent many hours manifesting.

It's the nature of my creativity. When tasked with something different and interesting, I'll barrel forward without even pausing to eat – sometimes for days on end. Not proud, but it's true.

Last year, I had an adorable young human on my list whose gift requests presented an opportunity. You see....she had been known as a he just a few months earlier. She was a 4 year old farm resident who absolutely adored all things construction, with a particular love for/fascination with excavators. Yet she also longed for glittery, beautiful things.

What to give such a unique, wonderful little soul? I knew exactly what she needed, and I believed there existed no 'purchasable' item that might suffice.

So....I made her a thing worthy of her sparkly, dirt-loving spirit.

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A Bedazzled Excavator, Of Course

Yes – I spent at least 16 hours carefully gluing rhinestones and glimmering stars onto a toy excavator, and I had so much fun doing it! I also brushed on pink, purple, gold and iridescent glitter paint. In certain light, the glitter looked a bit like dirt. Perhaps not quite what I was goin' for, but...also kind of apropos.

Though this little machine was quite a bit smaller than the other excavator she received that morning, she loved it. She pretended it was the daughter of the bigger one, tied her to other toys and had them drag her around. Very cute.

It was oddly tricky to photograph, but I did my best to record something of its uncommon shimmer while it was still pristine.

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Overkill, Perhaps?

I recognize that it may seem a bit ridiculous to spend so much time on a toy – to dedicate so much energy and attention to detail to a gift that's likely to be forgotten about/discarded in short order (just as all toys eventually are.) Yet this project was about so much more.

Of course, I wanted her to be delighted by the unlikely/unexpected combination, but – more than that – I wanted her to feel seen and loved and supported as she was feeling deeper into herself. I wanted her know she had permission (not that she needed it) to explore freely – that, whomever she discovered as she grew would be celebrated and adored. I wanted her to feel she had a place, no matter where she landed.

Beyond that – this wasn't just about honoring the wishes of a beautiful, gender-fluid child – it was also about recognizing how unique we each are and acknowledging that we don't all fit in neat little boxes that can be bought and wrapped, as is. We are such wonderfully diverse creatures that deserve so much more than the drab 'pink' or 'blue'/'black' or 'white'/'this' or 'that' choices we're given.

There's so much life in all those in-between places – so many shades of human not yet given nearly enough space on the shelves.

This...was my modest attempt to remedy that, even if only for this one little human.

I made her a toy, meant also to serve as a gentle reminder; even when its stars begin to peel, it loses its gemstones and becomes covered in dirt – it'll still be a dazzling, gorgeous, one-of-a-kind marvel...just like her.

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