I think I was about ten when Grandmommie taught me to embroider. We went to TG&Y, to the department that was called Notions, to get me some pillowcases with a pattern stamped on the cuff. We also picked out embroidery thread, needles and an embroidery hoop. By age twelve I was working on a large project that turns out to now be a classic. (People are selling them in garage sales now. On the other hand it fits right in with the “grandma core” trend, proving once again, if you wait long enough, you become fashionable again!)
From embroidery of all types, I moved to needlepoint and during law school, I did two large-ish needlepoint projects that are panels from The Lady and The Unicorn tapestries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lady_and_the_Unicorn

People often asked how I found the time. My answer was that it was part of my efforts to stay sane and it helped. In the same vein, I decided I wanted to learn to knit while I was working on my dissertation. My mom had started me with knitting needles and a ball of yarn at some point in my young years but I never took to it. In grad school, I turned to my favorite way to learn and I got a book. And learned to knit. Because I learned that I don’t want to worry about size, I knit baby blankets and afghans and scarfs – things that can be complicated but don’t have to fit an actual person. That way they are an aid to calm not a stressor. Most of the time.

I have been known to growl while working on a needle work project. Errors, especially the ones I find after some time has passed are more than a little frustrating. On embroidery projects, it generally means carefully removing a few stitches. Knitting projects, on the other hand, take one of two skills: unknitting – going stitch by stitch and reversing the process; and ripping – taking the needles out and pulling the yarn out of multiple rows, occasionally even entire projects. Peter recognizes the growl or the behavior of counting stitches as I try to figure out just how far back I have to go, and he doesn’t even ask what’s wrong any more.

Frustrating at times, when I goof up, but the reality is that one can learn a lot from needlework beyond specific stitches. Finishing all but the simplest project requires two behaviors that are critical in so many instances. Patience and Persistence.

When I started as a VP at UT Austin a colleague who had worked there for many years reminded me that the way to get things done in that organization was patience and persistence. Last week after I shared where I am on the road to publishing my memoir, a friend sent me a note reminding me, patience and persistence is needed.

Sometimes patience is needed because we have to wait on others. Sometimes, we need patience with ourselves as we have to learn the skills needed to complete the project we’ve taken on. Other times, patience is needed because life gets in the way and we have to put the project aside for a while. That could be a craft project or a great idea for work that has to be set aside because priorities change or emergencies happen. Regardless of the reason, it doesn’t mean we won’t get it done, just that we won’t get it done on the schedule we had planned.

And of course, that’s where persistence is needed. Whether, it’s a large needlework project or something on the to do list, one of life’s most important skills is the ability to persist, to go back to the project or task even though it was interrupted.

It’s also important to remember the advice in response to the question, “How do you eat an elephant?” One bite at a time. Taking on big projects, developing big ideas, accomplishing any complicated task takes patience and persistence. Finding the small steps that move you forward. Not getting too discouraged when you realize all that has to be done. Keeping the end in sight while focusing on what’s in front of you. It all boils down to patience and persistence.

And, having a hobby, an activity outside of the project to change your focus every once in a while helps too. If you’re finding yourself frustrated with an elephant, in other words a large, slow moving project, what are you doing to change your perspective for just a bit? What are you doing to help you be patient and persist? I’d love to hear any of your tricks or see any of your hobby projects.

Keep at it!

Take care,

Gage

Quote of the Week

“Knowing trees, I understand the meaning
of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.“

Hal Borland
“Harold Glen Borland (May 14, 1900 – February 22, 1978) was an American writer, journalist and naturalist. In addition to writing many non-fiction and fiction books about the outdoors, he was a staff writer and editorialist for The New York Times.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Borland