Lesson #1,329 — Listen to your Gut

A little story, a little lesson, a little glory — isn’t that what life’s all about?

I follow many friends who do remarkable craft/handy work.. Laura Kate at Daily Fiber is always showing her handiwork, including fabric art, quilting, and her discovery of new painting techniques. And Tiffany at Tiffany Arp-Daleo Art is amazing at turning out new and unique watercolor paintings.

There are more. There are many, many of you with creative hands and minds.

But I digress.

Isn’t one of the purposes of a blog is to share knowledge? Experience? Art? Let me share all three this fine day. I will make it as brief as possible.

Title: Listen to your Gut

Scene: Downstairs at Granny’s house. Oldest grandson is outside with Grandpa; five-year-old is playing video games with Granny, almost-three-year-old playing with dolls nearby. Library/Craft Room door open.

J: Come on, Granny! Follow my guy! Pew! Pew!

E: Takes her dolls into the workroom. Granny glances in the door.

(Gut Feeling) I really shouldn’t let her in there without supervision.

(* = thoughts)

*She can’t really mess anything up in there.

 

(Voice over) You really should put your Angel Tears away when they are made.

(Self Voice) I’m waiting for my business cards to come. Then I’ll put them all away at one time.

G to J: Open that chest! Good job!

E: tinkle-tinkle-plunk!

(Gut Feeling) I better see what she’s up to.

J: Go this way, Granny! I got the money!

(Voice over) YOU REALLY SHOULD PUT YOUR ANGEL TEARS AWAY WHEN THEY’RE MADE…

*I guess I’d better go check on her.

So, as you suspect, there are about four 5′ strands of tears on the floor.

E: I help!

Granny goes to pick them up. A few ends are tangled (remember they are on super durable fishing line).

J: Granny — Come ON!

So Granny grabs all four and swings as she walks and puts them down on the board that’s on the table that’s holding two more finished tears.

Later that evening….

Here is where lesson #1,329 comes in.

LISTEN TO YOUR GUT.

I know it wasn’t anybody’s fault but my own. Too much in a hurry, ignoring the seriousness of the situation, not preventing disaster but creating more of it. Instantly.

I wonder if all crafters go through this humiliation.

I spent three hours trying slowly, gingerly, to untangle the mess. My result:

How many times does your gut — or to choose a more favorable word, intuition — tell you something is wrong? That Bad B is going to come after Accidental A if you don’t do something to change it?

But we lollygag around, dismissing our paranoia, not listening to that strong voice in our head (or strong voice from another) and assume the chips will all fall back into place perfectly.

I have entertained the idea of dissolving solvents for a chance to save some of the gems, but calmer voices said it won’t work. So I’ll at least save the Tears and start all over again.

If I had thought writing was tough, it doesn’t hold a candle to crafts.

Pay attention to that little voice when it screams in your ear. At least look logically at what it’s saying and stop and see if you really need to do something about it.

Maybe then your life won’t turn out to look like this: