Amberlee's Adventuring: Life in Seattle: Seam Rippers (day27-30)

My very own pair of left-handed fabric scissors! So pretty

Ah yes, it was a day. A seam ripper kind of a day...

One project I'm working on at SCT involves sewing panels for the Mulan show. They are about 10' by 25' each, with six of them to finish. The material is a beast, there's a lot of it, I'm sewing on an industrial machine (very cool, but very foreign to me), and my deadline is Friday. Yikes. As a perfectionist, I have a hard time making something and thinking it looks okay. Add that to all of these new elements, and well, I'm in for a whole lotta seam ripping. (In case ya didn't already know, a seam ripper tool's job is to rip out what you've sewn so you can re-do it).

Sigh.. That was basically my morning. Sewing, then ripping it out, then trying again, then ripping part of it out, slowly but surely making some progress... I think... It sure didn't feel like it.


Bus stop artwork


Bus stop happiness

Isn't that how life feels sometimes? You feel like you've figured something out, then life throws on more questions, so then you feel like you have to take two steps backwards and start over again. And it can be frustrating. It also gives many headaches. A part of you just wants to throw the fabric out the window and say, no more. Done.

Today I was definitely feeling that. Just wanting to be done. With those panels, and with stressing about the future. I mean, sure, I have this amazing, incredible job now, but come September, I'll have to find something new. And that's all too easy to worry about... like.. How will I find one? Will I be happy with it? Will I make enough money? Will I be successful? the questions are brutal and endless, no matter what stage of life we're in. There's always some transition going on. So methinks that...

1. It's okay to take a break sometimes. In fact, it's great. Sometimes we need a refresher, a breather, a chance to distract our eyes and minds from the stress and intense focus and rest. So that then we can...

2. Get right back to it and sew that thing. And own it. Dominate it. Because if the hard questions throw you off, that's not losing. But if you give up, well, that is losing. It's forfeiting your chance to do something great. And that's too unfortunate, because boy can you ever do something great.

Rabbit ears for Wind in the Willows at SCT

I think perhaps the difference between the astonishing and the mediocre, the happy and the just okay is the fact that the astonishing happy people don't give up. They take some breaks, life frazzles them sometimes, and okay sure they might have to rip up some seams every now and then. But that doesn't stop them from sewing, again and again.

Here's to you, for not giving up. And here's to me (for hopefully decently finishing those panels. On time).

And yes, I'm going to steal a quote I saw from one of my friends. Ready?