Dial It In

A Spontaneous Reflection of Interconnection, Love, and Action

Mark Anthony Love's functional art piece: a rotary phone turned into a lamp.

It’s funny how life works, and the timing of it all.

Yesterday, I spontaneously made a scary and important call I had put off for more than 10 years to anonymously report a traumatic event. I spent 35 minutes on the phone with a City’s third-party sexual assault and harassment reporting service, answering questions posed by a very kind woman who said she was sorry for what I had gone through.

About an hour later, I walked to the complimentary 90-minute energy healing and massage appointment I had accepted from a generous friend who wasn’t yet aware of my unplanned call, yet her skillful and nurturing work cleared the trauma from my body. …Just hours after calling in an assault, I was literally ‘held’ in supportive, maternal energy.

Two hours after that, geranium massage oil still sprinkled in my wavy hair, I biked to an intimate outdoor wine tasting surrounded by warm, kind, and strong women from my local gym, where we laughed, made new friends, and savored the warm evening weather for hours. It was an extremely fun and festive night. A few times, I leaned back in my chair, privately celebrating what I had had bravely accomplished that afternoon, and I felt gratitude for getting to spend the hours following in such empowering company. I felt more free and safe than I had in ages. A huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders. Bicycling slowly home along Atlanta’s dreamy Beltline path, taking in everything around me, only cemented the feeling of newfound freedom.

This morning, I happened to attend my fourth gym class in a week for the first time since joining two months ago – a big accomplishment for me, as I was averaging less than three a week previously. I then devoured a hearty home-cooked brunch while reflecting on my favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day, coming up in a week. Well aware that many dismiss it as a cheesy Hallmark affair, for me, there’s nothing better than an entire day dedicated to love. It transcends romance, in my opinion, and serves as a reminder to love ourselves, our loved ones, and everyone around us.

When I thought my past 24 hours couldn’t get better, I stumbled upon an extremely cool art piece for sale shared via a friend’s Instagram post. It was a red rotary phone, turned into a lamp by a talented mixed media artist from New York now living in Atlanta. There’s a special place in my heart for rotary phones, as I imagine many other Gen Xers and those older feel, and I associate them with happy memories of my grandparents’ house, where I spent a lot of time as a child.

I’m not a big shopper, so when I see something utilitarian I love, I buy it if I can afford it. So I looked into the artist, and on top of loving his body of work, he seemed like a lovely person. To boot, Love is his last name as well as the theme of his work.

“I am a visual artist who specializes in creating functional and expressionistic pieces that evoke emotion and create a sense of connection via the addition of Bluetooth speakers, touch activated lighting, hidden storage, message boards, just to name a few, always through the topic of love. …My goal is to spread love and positive energy through my artwork and to create a sense of connection between the viewer and the piece. …I create functional pieces of artwork always dedicated to self-love and healing and overcoming negativity.” – Mark Anthony Love

I messaged him, he replied, and he shared that he had a fond memory of his grandmother’s wall-mounted rotary phone. His work involves “saving great nostalgia from being lost” in today’s world, he explained.

I really liked my interaction with him, as well as our connected experience of grandma phones, and his beautiful art piece now adorns my kitchen shelf. He even delivered it to me while he was out running errands. When he arrived, I saw that he was wearing an artistic and casual black button-down shirt that read “Love Is Action” in red, reflecting the name of his online interactive journal. Because I was so in the present moment talking with him, I characteristically forgot to ask for a photo of him with the art piece. Next time. Here is Mark Anthony Love’s website. I strongly recommend checking it out. His next show will be in NYC and will be announced soon.

It wasn’t until I sat down for a late dinner tonight that I realized this pretty amazing art piece I bought isn’t just cool, useful, and personally and societally meaningful; it also encapsulates my last 36 hours. …Here I had finally picked up a phone to call in something important, and afterwards, I was flooded by love and support from friends, strangers, and, of course, God. The phone’s even red, the color of love. And just in case I wasn’t getting the message, it was delivered by a man named Love.

After Mark Anthony and I said goodbye, I called my “love,” my daughter, Audrey, for our weekly catchup. I told her about the piece, and I also told her about my call. We discussed our mutual adoration for Valentine’s Day, despite being surrounded by a society of V-Day curmudgeons.

As I sat down to type this, a close male friend who works in sexual harassment law, who I had called yesterday for advice, texted me to say he knows this week was a lot on me, that he was proud of me, and that he hopes I’m being compassionate with myself, and he sent me a virtual hug. I embraced the support with open arms.

I thought I was going to spend the majority of the last 48 hours finishing my taxes. Instead, all of this happened. What a grateful way to welcome in my favorite week of the year. Taxes can wait.

Happy Love Week, y’all,

ae

In 2018, I hiked into Murphy Ranch, a former Nazi retreat, solo and painted this real big on the old water tank.