Have you ever taken the time to learn about a Gazing Ball and its Magic? 15 years ago, my daughter Audrey and her husband Matthew were newlyweds living and working in New York City. Long work hours and days and weeks were more than made up for with the excitement of the City and with Audrey’s position at Donna Karan, a position that came with lots of wonderful opportunities (and beautiful clothing!).
Gazing Ball and its Magic
Let me start at the beginning of my gazing ball before I get into it. One opportunity was helping with SUPER SATURDAY, an annual “Designer Garage Sale” sponsored by Donna Karan and InStyle to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The Fund was founded in 1994, and its mission is to fund cancer research for early detection and ultimately a cure of ovarian cancer. OCRF assists patients and their loved ones to understand the disease, its treatment, and provide outreach programs to raise public awareness. Since 1998, the OCRF has awarded tens of millions of dollars in grants to the study and cure of cancer research at over 40 leading medical centers in the United States.
Super Saturday is also fabulously fun. (I detailed our 2008 Super Saturday day in the Hamptons here.) Designers line up their wares at incredibly discounted prices — designers such as 7 for all Mankind, Betsey Johnson, Calvin Klein, Coach, Dooney & Bourke, Free People, Henri Bendel, Kate Spade, Kenneth Cole, LAMB Handbags, MaxStudio, Marc Jacobs, Nautica, Donna Karan, DKNY, Nicole Miller, Prada, Rock & Republic, Shoshanna, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Vera Wang, Victoria’s Secret, Wes + Willy, Vivienne Tam and dozens and dozens more.
(My best score over the many years I’ve attended Super Saturday are 5 pairs of Manolo Blahniks for $250.00 and a Chanel jacket for $50.00.)
In addition to clothing, jewelry, accessories, shoes, cosmetics, and kids’ wear, there are dozens of designer home goods’ booths as well.
In one such booth is where Barry and I found our Gazing Ball.
One interesting thing about Super Saturday is that the prices drop dramatically as the day goes along. (Of course, it’s first-come, first-served and many items disappear immediately.) At the opening of that year’s market, Barry and I were drawn to this gloriously HUGE, golden Gazing Ball. It was SO happy and sun-like.
The asking price was $250.00.
Well, first, Barry and I didn’t have any intention of spending $250.00 on a gazing ball; second, we had to cart all of our stuff home from Long Island to Rhode Island in our car. There was no room for the gazing ball, anyway.
Another pass through the acres of “flea market” awhile later, we noticed that the gazing ball had been reduced to $225.00. Still beautiful. Still reflecting the gorgeous sun of the day. But, nah. Still no room in the car. As the day wore on, the gazing ball price fell in larger and larger increments – down to $175.00, $125.00, etc.
SO enticing. But still no room in the car.
I remember that gazing ball so well because as the sun made its way across the summer sky of Long Island and Barry and I stopped to gaze at it, the gazing ball had picked up different colors, different perspectives, different magic. Each time. It drew me in like a child to its magic.
Then, like the magical qualities that it soaked in and gave back, the vendor said to Barry and me, “You know this gazing ball is yours. It wants to go home with you! How about $25.00?”
We made room in the car.
I don’t think Barry and I have ever owned something that brings as much happiness to a yard, a garden, the outdoors. Our Gazing Ball comes out of the garage each spring and is placed where everyone can enjoy it. It soaks in the sun, the colors of the flowers, the blooming green world, our home and each person who comes into its sphere… and it immediately gives back. It celebrates spring’s great awakenings and Life itself as it honors reflection and giving all through the summer and fall, too.
It gives back everything. Like great gifts.
This year, the Gazing Ball has a place of honor on our brand new deck, soaking in the people, the energy, the sunlight, the mornings, the afternoons, the evenings of magic. Perhaps a little worn for the years of wear, it still never ceases to amaze me…
It IS amazing what lessons that golden Gazing Ball teaches us about stopping, enjoying, giving. I even recently found myself researching a definition for the word aze (as in amaze and gaze), and found the noun from Old Norse eisa (aze), as in “glowing embers.” This makes perfect sense to me.
That Super Saturday vendor was right. The amazing Gazing Ball with its glowing embers wanted to come home with us and hasn’t stopped amazing since and it’s made our garden magical! Gardens are perfect all year long!
