Ringing In The New With The Old
My goals this year with my craft is to try to limit my waste, work on reuse, and up-cycle at any opportunity. Right before the year’s end, I had an opportunity to attend an estate sale where I picked up a few used hats. They are a mixed bag, some very low grade quality straws, and a couple of recyclable felts. Had these been donated to a charity shop, it’s likely no one would buy them because the hat designs are very specific to the former owner’s tastes, as well as most looked like they were popular in the 80s and 90s church circles. But I love them anyhow. I reckon they have had their day with matching outfits and accessories. I am looking forward to carving out some time and breathing new life into these ladies.
Then there is the question about time, and time management to be precise. The older I get, the less time I really have. Why? I am not running around trying to cram in a weeks worth of work into one day. Those days are over. Much of the whirlwind back then was blurred because I rushed through as much as I could, and in some ways sacrificed the art of perfection. Who says no one is perfect? There is a profound sense of satisfaction when something is perfectly done. My interpretation of perfect, is doing the absolute best I can. I have unstitched a full brim because a solo thread was out of place, and I couldn’t bear it being seen. Arriving at a mental state that provides me the luxury of trying to live in a world where perfection is achievable.
It is all about interpretation. I could raise my bar so high that I could never reach it. So, why not change our interpretation of perfection, and bask in the present perfect? Where a single flower in a small vase can shine by simply having the water clear, the vase clean, and the table it rests empty of the clutter that hides the simple beauty (and perfection) of the lone flower. It is not “less” is “more.” It is the mindful practice of perfection, where quality will always trump quantity. A giant bouquet, sitting in rotting water, in an old chipped and unwashed vase, with petals browning, and stems fading, surrounded by a stack of books, pens, magazines, and dusty table surface is going unnoticed. I am not going to see or appreciate much perfection there. It is a big statement with little substance.
Choosing to live my day-to-day this way provides me with solace and a sense of organic order. I find the quiet in this practice, and it helps me feel like a day with few tasks are abundant, and long lasting. I look forward to 2020, an apropos number for my goals. Cheers to living today and tomorrows in clarity and perfection.
