The Universe Was Made For Me

"The rabbis had this great thing.  

They say take two pieces of paper and on one of the pieces of paper write,

 'I come from the dust.'  

I come from the dust is a way to remind yourself of the power of humility.  It puts you in your place.  It gives you a perspective.  It brings you down a few notches...

And then on the second sheet of paper write,

 "The universe was made for me."

Now here's what the rabbis say...they say take those two pieces of paper 

and put one in one pocket and the other in the other pocket.  

And then take out which ever piece of paper you need 

depending on the day, the event, and the moment." 

~Rob Bell

After listening to the above quoted podcast, the two phrases, "I come from the dust." and "The universe was made for me." stuck in my head.  I knew immediately that I was going to create a collage related to these two phrases and the concepts behind them.  I just didn't know how or when I would do it.  

Then, the other night, I was browsing Flickr Commons in the Tyne & Wear Archives and Museums Collection when I came across these interesting vintage mug shots.  Immediately the podcast came back into my consciousness.  I browsed the collection of prisoner photographs from the North Shields Police Court between the years 1902 and 1916.  There was something about the eyes of these prisoners that captured me and brought me in.  I began wondering what their circumstances were, why they were committing crimes, and if they felt remorse for what they did.  I tend to be a bit of a storyteller and a people watcher, so this for me, was a perfect starting point for the The Universe Was Made For Me collage.  

If you are interested in hearing the entire podcast, you can listen below in the player. It was well worth the 33 minutes.

Have a wonderful day, y'all!