Not A Stitch

Most of this weekend was spent in a blurry haze, in the curl-up chair, intermittently reading, intermittently napping. Not a stitch of sewing happened. It's been months since I've had a killer headache like this and I haven't missed them at all. On the side, between painful throbs, each day also contained an element of what does that mean excitement, confusion, coincidence - whatever you choose to call it. 

On Thursday, my friend in Yellowknife casually mentioned in an email about sewing that her mother-in-law had just moved to an assisted living facility. We don't normally talk about her MIL nor did the comment fit the rest of the conversation and yet the information interested me because her MIL lives in one of the strata complexes Howard and I are looking at. Caroline had no idea that we are moving.

On Friday, I was praying in my journal about the strata unit that I most wanted to buy which, while not a perfect answer to our prayers, seemed the best possible answer. Since I'm not at all good at waiting and wondering and six weeks of waiting so far seemed long enough to me, I asked God for a definitive answer and later that afternoon heard that the unit had sold. That's definitive. It was also depressing.

Two of the four units that we were interested in have sold since we listed our house. I've begun to wonder if there will be anything left to buy when we do sell. That wondering naturally led to the question should we be selling? and the weighing of pros and cons... yet... still... again. While I'm quite good at it, I'm tired of weighing the pros and cons especially as I always come to the same conclusion. Yes, we should be selling. And so, I'm trying to wait patiently.

On Saturday, I called Caroline's brother-in-law to ask about his mother's unit and whether it would be coming up for sale. Yes. After we had discussed the situation, the end result was that this unit would be an exact answer to our prayers - for price, for location, for strata fee, and for the possibility of finishing the basement in a way that works for us. It's currently unfinished and he is a contractor. That all sounds positive and - since Howard happens to have today off, another coincidence - we are looking at the unit this morning but... we would need to sell our house right away as they want to sell the unit quickly and plan to list it in a week. That's a big BUT.

On Sunday, I took my headache and my journal over to Starbucks hoping a change of scenery might help. I'd been writing for a few minutes when a woman wearing strong perfume settled into the seat behind me. Since her loveliness wasn't helping my headache at all, I moved to another seat, finished writing, and started to read a book called Damn, Why Didn't I Write That. The two women at the next table questioned the title of my book and it turned out that one was an artist and the other a writer which led to an wonderful conversation.

The woman who is a writer is currently finishing a business degree. She described herself as a workaholic and said that she was trying to decide whether to go full into business or full into writing and art. Along with writing, she works in various media. She felt that a career in business would mean her art was pushed aside and that would be a loss as she had much to say however, she couldn't decide. I thought she'd answered her own question and began to feel like I was talking to myself. As you know, I've been re-reading my art and writing and business books. They've all reminded me that this - creativity - is my passion and my area of expertise and the place where I am most comfortable. It's something to think about and since I'm so good at thinking - LOL.

Both women asked for my business card. It was only as I was driving away that I realized they know how to contact me but I don't know how to contact them. I know their first names. That's it. It was a fabulous discussion and I would love to talk more. I hope they phone.

In reviewing the weekend, it's only natural to wonder at the chain of events. Why did the unit I thought worked best sell? Why did I hear about this other unit which seems perfect and yet there's so little time to bring everything together? Why the reminders - in so many different ways over the past few weeks - of my love of creativity and of teaching and of writing? Is this pure coincidence or is God sending a message? One wonders what will unfold and - unfortunately - I'll have to wait - patiently - to see.

Although I didn't sew, I did think about the JoAnna bag. I deliberately left this pair of hands until the end because JoAnna is a lover of details and very much a girly girl. She'll be completely delighted with every design element put into the bag which makes it a final project that will stimulate creativity and not one that I might be tempted to finish in a rush. Making a gift for someone that you know they will truly enjoy is a delight.

I've thought about this bag for the past several weeks and know that I want it to open at the top with a purse frame except I don't have a purse frame in my stash - or at least not one big enough. After examining the frames and how they work on a row of purses at Value Village, I'm confident I can manufacture one and as soon as I'm feeling up to testing my theory - when this headache goes away - I'll give it a try. Hopefully, that's today when we get back from viewing the strata unit because after three days of not sewing, I'm more than ready.

Talk soon - Myrna

Grateful - Advil