Diwali

On Novemeber 12, 2023, my Mother and I held a superchill event to celebrate Diwali.  This was right before my mother left on an extraordinary life journey where she tried her best to reach for her dreams as she turned 70.  

If you are curious about the details of Diwali, check out my mother's writeup where she shares an overview of the holiday and her experiences. 

In the past, we held a much more intricate event focused on exploring American Identity through the Festival of Lights where we had people from many different cultures share their Festival of Lights and then we created a new Festival of Lights using each person's culture as motivation. 

In our current event, the main novelty was that each person crafted their own creative diyas that represented themselves.  We also had a mini-surprise early birthday celebration and farewell sendoff for my Mother. 

Chill'n

Before the event began, people were just chill'n.  One of the most important parts of these events is meeting new people. 

Making the Diyas

People made their own creative diyas that represented their spirits! I loved watching everyone design and create their own unique diya.  We used a polymer clay that could be hardened in the oven quickly which was very convenient but unfortunately when we lit the wick, the polymer clay burned and released a burnt plastic smell which was probably toxic.  

Interestingly, I had bought this clay when I was on my journey through romance.  In my method of online dating, I swiped 'right' on everyone and accepted anyone who wanted to meet.  This is because everyone is a universe of beauty and I never wanted to select only on appearance.  However I exerted a huge amount of selection through my superjacket, my honesty and through intentions such as wanting to do something creative on the first date.  I was talking to one woman who enjoyed pottery and so I suggested we make something out of this clay, which is why I bought the polymer clay. However, right before the meeting, she lost interest and this box of polymer clay sat in my closet for half a year until it was given destiny in this event. 

Overview of Diwali and Speech

After the diyas were made, we placed it in the oven for 30 minutes. During that time my mother gave an overview of Diwali and I gave a small speech on her upcoming life journey. 

Lighting the Diyas

We placed cotton wicks into diyas with milk thistle oil that was gifted by my sister's friend. Then we lit it!

Mother's Birthday Celebration

Stephen brought some celebratory drinks to honor my Mother's upcoming 70th birthday.  She would turn 70 a month later while on her life journey.