.jpg)
My dad wanted a son. Unfortunately, I was what showed up. After he was divorced from my mother, I visited him one weekend a month. He never quite knew what to do with a girl.
If the weather was nice, he took me fishing. I would show up with a sketch pad, colored pencils, paper dolls, something to stitch, and a couple of books. He used to tease me about trying to sink the boat with all the stuff.
I hated fishing. The worst possible thing that could happen was I would actually catch a fish, as I would have to clean it.
If the weather was cold or rainy, he took me into his workshop and let me play with power tools. This was my very favorite. He was a great craftsman and would be busy working on a project. There were always pieces of wood I could put together. I loved the smell of the sawdust and the sound of the power tools. It was always a great day. I can close my eyes and see it now.
On the wall of his shop was an adage, "Be the task great or small,do it well or not at all." He repeated that often to me. When I was grown, I found a cross stitch sampler with the same adage. I moved it with me everywhere. It still has pride of place in my living room. It was my mantra all my life.
But here I am in my 80s and I realize it was dreadfully wrong.
Doing something well is not the important thing and "Not at all" is not an option.
With impaired vision, I find myself unable to do anything well. So the most important thing is just doing it as well as I can.
If I could do that sampler over, that is how I would stitch it. I finish this post with this thought: Remember
"Not at all is not an option."
.jpg)
3 comments:
Bravo! You are so right: "Not at all is not an option" -- if at all possible. I confess I practice knitting without looking at my hands, because my mother's diminished eyesight and the loss of sensation in her finger-tips (arthritis) at 80 kept her from knitting. I'm 71 now...and have no idea if it will work, but I am indeed less fussy about slips in cross-stitch or quilt piecing or whatever. "Good enough" is good enough for me! Keep on keepin' on!
Hi Gerry:
I love this post. You're so very right. Doing our best is a much better adage than not at all. I'm only a short decade behind you, but I'll continue to create until the end. I have no other option...and all the while, I shall do my best, knowing it is good enough. (I do love the sampler as is, by the way. It represents your old way of thinking. People change. It's nice to have gentle reminders.)
Thanks for sharing.
Donna
Well Said Gerry!
Sass
Post a Comment