Closing the door for a bit... |
Despite moments of great uncertainty over the past few years about how much longer I
could persist, I kept pushing for as long as I could. At some point, this
particular milestone seemed within reach and became a goal of sorts.
I've never had only one blog post scheduled... as of today, there's zero. |
When I started this journey in 2013, I was still occasionally dabbling in
actual work; i.e., doing things for which I got paid real money. Over the
years, I've heard so many people make the comment of "what am I going to do
when I retire?" I feel lucky to have been doing something quite fulfilling
during my final (albeit extremely part-time) working years, so that when I
finally decided that enough was enough, the prospect of having all this extra
time to devote to sewing – and to this blog – was exciting.
Now I've been asked, what are you going to do with all the extra free time if
you're not going to blog anymore? Believe it or not, the first thing I might
want to do more of is to sew. While I've cut down on making "things"
simply because I don't want to have clutter around the house, the past year
has been somewhat ridiculous for what I've actually managed to sew. As in,
very little. Whether I actually end up doing more is still to be determined,
but I will indeed have more time to consider it!
So what's a good topic for a potential "last" post? Believe it or not, I didn't think too long or hard about this one. Around this time of year, I usually take a step back from all things sewing and ruminate on other stuff... and often hop up on a soap box.
Good advice to follow... |
BE WELL
What does being well mean to me?
First of all, having a hobby is an excellent way to maintain wellness in
spirit, body and mind heading into one's supposed "golden years".
(Honestly, that term grates on me. By my early 40s, it was pretty clear to
me that there's nothing golden about old age.)
Writing by hand is a big part of overall wellness... |
This year, I found out that writing by hand is enormously beneficial to
us, especially as we age. (Do a search for "20 reasons to write by hand,
according to science" and read all about it.) Back in July, I took an old
notebook and began writing in it on a daily basis. I make it a point to
write slowly and methodically, taking care to form letters the way I was
originally taught to do, not the way that I've come to scrawl them over
the decades. (Fun fact: back in my early teaching days, I received a
comment on a student evaluation that said I was the fastest writer this
person had ever seen... luckily my writing still managed to be legible!)
And what do I write, you might ask?
When I set out to do this, I looked for websites that could provide me
with good things to scribe. One of them turned out to be a veritable well
of goodness, and it's my recommendation that anyone who needs a little
help "being well" should turn to it for support.
It's a site filled with inspirational quotes of all kinds, put together by
a guy named Maxime Legacé, who started it after losing his girlfriend in a
car accident about twenty years ago. One of my favourite quotes of his is,
"Life is a mountain. Your goal is to find your path, not to reach the
top."
image courtesy of wisdomquotes.com... |
In my daily writings, I also appreciate that some quotes make me think and
give me pause, like this one by Marilyn Vos Savant: "Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes
it permanent." After I copied that down, I felt compelled to compose a quote of my
own: "Beating a dead horse is a waste of energy that can be better applied
elsewhere." (Being a realist, I think there are far too many "never give up"
platitudes and not enough "know when to give up" advice.)
In any case, 2023 was/is yet another year of things going badly for planet
Earth and humanity in general. If, like me, you believe that being
bombarded by a daily news cycle that focuses on disaster, violence, evil
and greed is truly bad for you, then you need a way to counter balance it.
This site has given me a sense of calmness in the storm every day since
July 10.
What else do I write? I found material via various sites that offer daily
thoughts, fortunes, questions, etc. When I want to write more than the
single page per day that I usually do, I flip to the back of the notebook
and work from there, copying lengthier sections of text from books or
interesting articles from the newspaper. If something is particularly
uplifting, I write it down and let it sink in.
Hubby and I subscribe to this theory... |
Avoid unnecessary comparisons and you'll be well positioned to...
BE SMART
For my daily handwriting exercise, I actually start by transcribing the Word of the Day and its definition. On a few occasions, I've actually learned new words, like abnegate and encomium. But my point about being smart is not really about increasing one's vocabulary, although aiming to learn something new every day is a smart goal to have.
Being angry also saps your energy... |
Some things are exactly what they appear to be... |
I aspire to be what this man describes... |
Be smart by taking the time to listen. Too many of us are
impatiently waiting to nab our turn at the podium to truly listen, even
during casual, everyday conversation; we end up talking "at" each
other. Be the person who actually hears and understands and knows
how to add to a discussion.
Lastly, be smart by letting most things slide off you. Not being
easily offended results in a happier life. Which leads to...
BE KIND
"Please, be kind. Especially when we don't know what's going on."
I watched Everything Everywhere All At Once last year.
While I generally avoid multiverse movies, this one was different enough
to pique my curiosity. The heartwarming comeback of
Ke Huy Quan was a feel good story that resonated with me. It was,
however, the above quote that his character said during the film that
left a truly lasting impression. (It hit me sort of like how
Paddington Bear stopped me in my tracks with his Aunt Lucy
quote.)
To be kind is a simple concept, but unfortunately, it's not the first
option that many choose. Even in seemingly benign circumstances, the "go
to" response is often escalation or aggression, or at best,
self-defense.
Very apropos for today's world... |
We're all so busy with our lives that the vast majority of us don't have
time to make others miserable (online behaviour notwithstanding).
Whatever injustices we perceive as having been done to us – by perfect
strangers that we encounter on any given day – are most likely not
intended to be so at all. I certainly keep that in mind whenever I'm out
and about, pretty sure that I am absolutely
not the center of anyone else's universe. Therefore, I choose to
keep kindness as my go to response, because I just don't know
what might be going on with that other person.
By the way, as a reminder, Paddington's Aunt Lucy said, "If we're kind and polite, the world will be right." How true is that when you look at what's happening around the world today?
Now before I bid you adieu, let me get some admin details out of the way.
Along with everything else on this blog, my various "shops" will remain
operational. I will also maintain a presence in terms of not letting
spammers take hold. I cannot conceive of a day when I grow tired of
hearing from actual readers, so if you're someone who will be browsing
the archives, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email if
the urge strikes. (Comments may eventually need to be approved, but to
reiterate, I'm still here for that.)
While I'm probably going to remove the sidebar widget for "This Week" eventually, I'll still update the home page on a regular basis to feature a different "This
Week in History" post. Point being, this is not going to be an abandoned
blog.
Food for thought for those who don't believe they have the capacity to be creative... |
As I've said before, I don't want to promise anything about the future
that I'll feel obligated to deliver within a certain amount of time. My
decision to push pause was made in the spirit of allowing myself to do
nothing (in terms of posting new material) for as long as I needed or
wanted. I hope to come back and update once a month, but I have no idea
when or if that might be achievable. All I can say is that this little
blog – in whatever form it takes down the road – will stay
focused on or around sewing. While away from here, I will definitely
continue to look for interesting things to make; I will never stifle
that creative part of me.
But for now, I'd simply like to sit back and bask in the moment.
Peace out, everyone – ✌(-‿-)✌ – all the best and happy sewing to you!
Goodbye for now, my faraway friend. I will miss your posts. Take care until we "meet" again🥰🌷❣️
ReplyDeleteAnd we "will", in the not too distant future, I expect. 💯
DeleteDear Rochelle, you have become a large part of my Saturday mornings ever since I retired and focused my “free time” on sewing! I looked forward to knowing it was the weekend when you appeared in my email. (Truely retired folks don’t know what day it is) I have come to enjoy your creative outside the box thinking, sewing patterns and outlook on life. Thanks for being you and for sharing yourself weekly for such a long stretch of time! You have been an enjoyable and stimulating part of my life, I will miss your weekly touch. Marie
ReplyDeleteThank you Marie, for always being there with your effusive feedback. (It's almost enough to make me want to continue!) You have enough talent and creativity to continue your sewing adventures without a weekly dose of me, however, and I wish you well in your various projects. (Remember that I want to see 'em!)
DeleteIf only everyone in this world were kind, what a different place it would be. Thank you for your words. I'll be using the Wisdom Quotes .... probably daily. Enjoy your "free" time.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment. I hope the site gives you as much enlightenment as it's given me. And let's continue to do the right things, even when it seems like no one else is.
DeleteAfter reading this post, I believe you have a worthwhile book in you. You can write in longhand :o)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy whatever comes your way.
Kathleen - kakingsbury at verizon dot net
Enjoy your "pause" for however long it will be, Rochelle. So good to have known you through your blog. I have mostly paused on my Instagram and Facebook pages as I find blogging more fun and satisfying. I do post on the other 2 whenever I need to post to promote a pdf pattern I have tested for a designer, otherwise I might not post again on those 2 places. Have a wonderful New Year and enjoy your "me" time.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely miss your posts, but wish you a fabulous future. I'll try hard to remember to check back in occasionally
ReplyDeleteWoops, forgot to mention that this week's post is exceptional. Thank you for these wise words
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you back for the complimentary train of thoughts, Kerry! I am going to enjoy having creative experiences without the obligation to write about them. But I also look forward to the day when I get the urge to come back and share.
DeleteWhat a powerful post, Rochelle! I am late to the party, but I know you will come to the door anyway, despite the lights being out, or at least dimmed. I do imagine the music is still on wherever you are and sometimes it's even vibrating the glass in the windows! Thank you for so many wonderful posts over the years. They were always full of wisdom and deep thoughts that made me pause and think about the ideas circulating in my head. I know I'll be going back to this post many times to re-absorb what it truly means to be well, smart and kind. Enjoy every minute of your blessed life! Hugs!
ReplyDelete