I’m back from my time away. It was a re-energising and enlightening week that provided some great perspective that was needed.
Last year when I returned from a week away, I told you about how I was taking up tapestry. I had a kit sent from England—a beautiful peony rose, very restful—and was all set. A friend convinced me it was super relaxing to do at night in front of the telly and I’d end up with a cushion that people would rave about forever.
Well. I have news for you. This little black duck cannot do what generations of happy crafting nannas can. I found tapestry to be something that just made me angry, made me frustrated. It made me feel like a failure. All my fingers hurt. I couldn’t even work out what the stupid colours were. It was terrible.
Even my husband noticed as I gnashed my teeth and got frazzled over threads: “I don’t think this is relaxing for you. It seems to make you really angry.” No kidding! My fingers hurt and I was going cross eyed trying to master it! I was even trying to tackle it with gloves on so I could persist just so I could say it didn’t beat me. Madness! I ended up shoving it in the cupboard but I reckon I could still feel it pulsating at me from there, making me feel itchy and crabby. So, I lovingly posted it to the friend who suggested this for me with my best wishes.
The lesson? I want to give people permission to ditch whatever amazing mindfulness thing they’re doing for themselves if they hate it. Meditating, hiking, crystals, channelling angels, colouring in, journaling, bloody jigsaws. I’d love to throw jigsaws.
If it doesn’t work for you, it’s okay to let it go. Just because it’s one person’s jam doesn’t mean it will be yours. It doesn’t mean you’re a failure, or less successful than anyone else. It’s just not for you. You’ll find something that works for you. Be confident in that.