I have always loved dragonflies. I love seeing them move about in my garden and gracefully hover over the water while I am casting for fish. I have read that they can maneuver like a helicopter at all directions then suddenly fly at 45 miles per hour. At that speed their wings flap 30 times per minute vs the common fly that must work at 1000 beats per minute. Elegant and strong they have 20 times more power in the stroke of their wings then other insects.

When I went on the internet today and looked them up there are many tales of folklore and myth associated with them.  The source of its name comes from the belief they once were dragons. Many believe they symbolize change and self realization in understanding the deeper meaning of life. Their short life span as fliers symbolizes living in the moment, without regrets. It was fascinating reading and has helped me understand why so many people also love dragonflies and my dragonfly purses. One of my favorite local shops in Boise is fittingly named “Dragonfly”.

This winter we had an electrician come to change an old fixture over our kitchen island (also my major leather work space)  for a more modern, brighter one. He asked me if I could make a small dragonfly purse for his wife. Since then I have made five others, each different and unique in its own way. Each purse usually sells within a week, even with the limited vendor opportunities and customer interactions I have had this spring. This makes me excited about the mighty dragonfly and I plan on making more on different size bags and designs. It makes me happy that a small purse easily makes people smile when they see it and perhaps gives a glance of the dragonfly folklore of beauty and growth.

As far as the Dragonfly shop, that is another story. In short, the sisters who own it lived in southern Delaware for some part of their lives as I did. Their father also was raised and went to school a block away from my mother in Brooklyn NY. We are all connected in some way. We just have to see the links and remain curious about others. Now I feel like I have to stop by the shop and ask them why they named their store “Dragonfly”.

I believe many of us love dragonflies…