Learning to Wait, Sharing the Joy and Encouraging the Dance.

When I started this journey, I thought I would be the one mapping out the topics and that Life would just fall into place.  I imagined that I would be the one imposing my new Creative order on the world around me.

Go ahead and laugh!

I am now discovering that Life offers me topics to muse about all the time, sometimes so many of them in a single day that I am torn between which one to focus on first.

The van had to go in for servicing today and since I’d booked the day off, we agreed that I would take it down to our Toyota dealership.  Once the girls got on the bus, I drove down and told them that I would WAIT while the 32,000 km servicing was being done.  Stitching in hand, I headed for the large, comfy couches in the waiting area then settled in to get some work done.  It was amazing to see how many people came over to see what I was working on!  Knitters and quilters, stitchers or people who knew someone who crafted struck up conversations about what I was working on.  This gave me the perfect opportunity to ask some of them what crafts they enjoyed, creating a cascade of stories about fabric stashes, the feel of yarn in your hands, hiding places for craft supplies and the number of stitches per inch in a quilt.  These conversations just confirmed my philosophy that Creativity lies within us all and that sharing that Joy binds us all together as human beings.

The time flew by and I got lots of stitching done.  I plan to volunteer to take the van down again... those are great, comfy seats to stitch in!

Bethany also headed off to her first Middle school dance tonight, full of enthusiasm and excitement.  My two girls are so different.  Erin hated going to dances but Bethany just loved dancing to the music tonight.  She pointed out that it isn’t so much about who is the best dancer, but who is able to just let go and have fun.  She’s absolutely right!  It isn’t always about how much talent we have, but how well we are willing to give ourselves over to the moment and the act of being Creative, whatever it may be.

It also makes long waits infinitely more bearable...

INHALE:  Most of us have very little patience for waiting.  We grumble when we have to wait in lines, children wiggle and whine when the service at a restaurant is slow, some honk at people in front of them who do not move quickly enough etc.  Today, I discovered that waiting can actually be very peaceful and productive.  Dozens of other people were dropping off their vehicles and complaining that the shuttles weren’t running often enough to get them to work.  Each time a harried driver appeared to ask who was waiting for a ride, eight or nine people surged forward.  I sat there, stitching contentedly for an hour and a half until the van was ready. Having something creative to do instead of reading a magazine or glancing at my watch made the time fly by instead of drag.

EXHALE:  Go through your favourite craft stashes. See if there are any tiny projects that could travel with you the next time you have to go to a meeting, to the doctor’s office or anywhere you might have to wait.  Ziplock freezer bags are sturdy enough to keep your projects safe and even let you label them on the outside. Many crafters are already experts at taking stuff with them.  I’ve seen them knitting and stitching in airports and hospital waiting rooms.  But taking the time to sort and prepare means that creativity will be at your fingertips the next time you need something to make the waiting a joy instead of an annoyance.