A few months ago I took up a childhood hobby again: needlepoint. The last time I had taken up a needle was in 7th grade art. I made a a picture of a dark pink strawberry on an ivory background. I remember enjoying the meditative quality of the stitches and the colors of the yarn. Of course being me, this time I did not start with a nice little fruit picture. I chose a tapestry, a full fledged tapestry. It is one of seven designs depicting the Genesis story of creation. I am crafting the first one based on "And God said, "Let there be light." The pattern , resplendent with color and bursting stars, is by textile artist, Alex Beattie.
Tonight I was working on some yellow detail and I turned the canvas over to secure the loose thread. God in Heaven! Good job I don't plan on framing the piece with the back showing. It's a right mess. Yet, I'm OK with it. When you look at the back you can actually see how I've warmed up to the project. I've gotten neater. I've figured some things out and I've actually gotten better. I've even changed some colors to make the work more uniquely mine. In the midst of these improvements, the poorly tied off bits and tight stitches seem to fade a bit.
I think if we consider our lives we can draw some of the same types of conclusions. When I reflect on some of the things I've done and said, I wish I had done some things differently. There were times I should have spoken up that I did not. There were times I should have shut up, when I did not. There have been times I could have given more but didn't want to, and times I wanted to give more, but I could not. Finally, there are the obvious mistakes that brought about incredible, and painful, growth. I believe that a considered life is a well lived one. The whole picture is composed of many stitches; it would not be the same work without the mistakes and the spontaneous ideas. When asked about his early research on electricity, Thomas Edison said " We now know 1000 ways how not to build a light bulb." Notice he DID NOT say, "I failed 1000 times." He knew that to get to the HOW he he had to go through the HOW NOT TO. Painful but true.
The poet Maya Angelou said, "We should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." I am going to try and re- frame the way I look at my life. It could very well be that I am not a failure, but a very purposeful work in progress. That's a project I can stick with.
I think if we consider our lives we can draw some of the same types of conclusions. When I reflect on some of the things I've done and said, I wish I had done some things differently. There were times I should have spoken up that I did not. There were times I should have shut up, when I did not. There have been times I could have given more but didn't want to, and times I wanted to give more, but I could not. Finally, there are the obvious mistakes that brought about incredible, and painful, growth. I believe that a considered life is a well lived one. The whole picture is composed of many stitches; it would not be the same work without the mistakes and the spontaneous ideas. When asked about his early research on electricity, Thomas Edison said " We now know 1000 ways how not to build a light bulb." Notice he DID NOT say, "I failed 1000 times." He knew that to get to the HOW he he had to go through the HOW NOT TO. Painful but true.
The poet Maya Angelou said, "We should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color." I am going to try and re- frame the way I look at my life. It could very well be that I am not a failure, but a very purposeful work in progress. That's a project I can stick with.
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