I'm Sew Ready

Well, well, well, what do we have here?



The wait is over, friends! And for all of you who were holding your breath, it's time to exhale. This nifty, little contraption is up and running. I have "sew" much to tell you I don't even know where to begin. I'm amazed I have learned as much about myself as I have just through a sewing machine. It's a little story that goes like this.......

I am a perfectionist. I knew that. I just never thought I fit into the typical "I'm not going to start a project because: it might not be perfect/go along without a hitch/I can't to be interrupted because I will work at it until it's done and it's done RIGHT" profile. Oh my ~ let me tell you, that is so me. I didn't realize how many things I procrastinated on due to that character flaw. I know my issues. I've got as many as the next person. It's just that I was always secure in the fact that I knew what they were. Well, "surprise, surprise" (Gomer Pile style). I have wanted to sew....something. We all know I spent money and took those simple classes. I was ready. Or was I?

The machine has remained in the carrier this whole time. What has it been? About 1-1/2 months since my mom gave me hers? I hate reading instructions. To me, they're like math story problems. (Run for your life!!!!!!!) And I'm always way too exhausted to be able to focus on such little details that probably won't make sense to me anyway. I'm a "just show me and I can do it" kind of person. But reading tedious, little instructions ~ ack, ack, ack.

So couple that with the fact that I was doing this procrastination thing I apparently do, there it sat.....unused. I was afraid, in a way, to not know how to thread the darn thing, how to wind the bobbin, how to use the settings (that I'm still working on reading about). You get the idea. And so enters my A-Number-One Momma (once again). During her visit last weekend she needed to use it to put darts in her jeans. (Oh yeah, she's thin. Plus if you can find a pair of jeans to fit, well, lucky lucky.) So up went the machine and in a matter of seconds she had versed me with her knowledge.

I want you all to know that that very evening I made A. a skirt. Just made it! I have a couple of finishing touches to add, but I just whipped up a skirt! Was it probably the simplest design on earth? Yes. Was it without mistakes? No. But I am proud of my accomplishment, and my daughter thinks the skirt is pretty awesome.

And so my own personal lesson, not just in sewing (whether my career ends after this skirt or not), but also in life, is that I am far too often paralyzed by my fear of lack of perfection. I can see it in all sorts of things now. I began to see it in my blogging.....not posting for days because I was too knock-down-drag-out tired to have my words flow as I desired them to, or too hesitant to write about something that I figured no one else would find interesting. I am now aware of my desire to achieve the perfect everything all the time, and it's wearing me down. I'd only look at the big picture when it came to tackling a project. I saw the "whole house" needing things ~ a new decoration here, new flooring there, picking up EVERYWHERE (thanks to those 2 little girls). You know how it goes.

So, now that I have "outed" myself, I'm developing a weekly post called What Did You Do Wednesdays. Each Wednesday, I'll be sharing something I have done that I have been meaning to do and I'd like you to join me. You don't need to be a perfectionist or a procrastinator, but I imagine we all have things that we have wanted to finish or start or stop or do. It doesn't have to be a big thing, and as a matter of fact, that's the whole point.....it shouldn't be.

I'm going to choose small things, because I know all those small things add up to big things that suddenly become overwhelming for me. Maybe you'll sweep out your garage, or send that card to a friend you've been meaning to get in the mail. Maybe you'll organize just one stack of papers or sort through one file. If you are a workaholic like I tend to be, maybe you'll choose to NOT do something. What about skipping some work that just isn't crucial to play a board game with your family? Or forgo a fast food meal with something simple the whole family helped prepare at home. Maybe it's just a tiny step towards a larger goal. Could you give up the soda habit you'd like to nix all together for just one day a week? Whatever it is, I'll look forward to hearing about your choices each Wednesday. It doesn't have do be something that you do that actual day of the week, just fitting in one tiny thing during a 7-day period will be a step towards a satisfaction. I'm beginning to feel triumphant already.