The Shape of Things to Come

This was the fabric that at last hooked me on weaving.

It is double weave, the motif is of bumblebees.  The insect that isn't supposed to be able to fly - but does.

When I made the decision to quit my job in order to become a weaver, I had no idea what my future would look like.  Could I make enough money to pay the bills?  What would success look like?  Because success isn't always about how much money we make.  How many vacations to exotic places we take.  How much we have in material goods or how big and fancy our houses/cars are.

Success is accomplishing our goals.  At that point in time I wanted a job that had some element of creativity in it.  Something that I could learn that would keep on revealing more information, more layers of knowledge to dig into.  I wanted to set my own deadlines and my own goals, not work at the behest of others.

I wanted to choose my life, not have others dictate what I had to do.

To be honest, I really had no idea what I was going to do or, frankly, how I was going to do it.  Because at the time I really knew very little about weaving.  All I knew was that it looked intriguing and that I would learn lots by doing it.

After that fateful decision it was a bit like being at sea in a very small boat, being flung about by every wave and wind that came along.  An exercise in flexibility and problem solving.  And hanging on for dear life.

Life, in all it's complexities.

Right now the entire world is going through that buffeting.  We are afloat in a dingy on the giant pandemic sea, no idea where land is, or how long the voyage will be.  We have no idea what the world will look like when the journey is over. 

It is scary, especially for people who are deemed 'essential' and must continue to go to work and interact with other people, not knowing if the unseen virus is lurking.  It is difficult for folk with young children who cannot understand why they are not allowed to go play in the park with their friends.  For people who are immune compromised, the fact is that people are dying from this virus in numbers that are beyond comprehension.  Last time I looked 2.2 million people were sick with it.  And that's just the ones we know about.  A great deal more probably have it but aren't being tested for one reason or another.

So I urge you to hold on.  Ride the storm, as best you can.  Stay at home as much as you can.  Do what calms you, gives you some happiness.  Some people are deep cleaning their homes.  Others are learning how to bake.  Some are able to get into their gardens now.  Me?  I'm weaving.  I will keep weaving for as long as I can.  I will worry about what to do with those endless tea towels later.

If you can, stay home.  If you must go out, keep physical distance.  Wear a mask but remember that it will be contaminated, like your hands/gloves so clean them as soon as you get home.  Maintain social connections through the internet/phone/letters.  Check in with friends.  Together we will get through this - with the appropriate physical separation.