Bucket List

 

Welp (as the young 'uns say) I am now 'done' teaching in person.  Officially done.  Last students are marked, I've been paid, and that means I'm 'retired' from teaching for Olds, which was my 'last' commitment to the college and my students there.

OTOH, I remain accessible to the students if they have questions, just like I do for anyone who has ever taken a workshop from me.  Or read my blog.  Or my books.  Or just seen me ranting on a weaving group on line.  

I've just finished doing a chronology of my career.  

No wonder I feel battered.

Most of the time I had not one, not two, but *several* Big Projects on the go.  Concurrently.

No wonder I feel exhausted.

As a new weaver I anticipated weaving for 25 years, then teaching for 25, bringing me to age 75 when I figured I would gracefully (or not) 'retire'.  Instead I 'retired' (for certain values of) at the end of 2019, when I stopped traveling to teach (other than Olds) and doing craft fairs.  At no point did I expect to stop weaving.  And I have not - even though it *is* at a much slower pace.

But I'm 'retired', so slower is fine, right?

One of the things I *had* hoped to continue to do was travel, but covid put the kibosh on that, and now my body has.

We had already begun buying experiences rather than products for gifts, but covid meant staying home, not attending any indoor public event, not doing the local craft fair, not getting on a plane.  The way things are going, likely never again.

But I cannot complain.

I have been to more than 30 US states (I can't even remember all of the guilds I was privileged to teach at), attended weaving conferences in NA and in Sweden, been to several European countries (some of them before I started weaving, but still).

I have not made it to the far north, but have made it to the rest of the provinces including the maritimes, several times.

All in all, it's been a life and it was my life.

OTOH, 'in person' can be defined in more ways than being physically present, these days.  So I am mulling over options.  I *do* have a number of bookings for 2024 for remote presentations.  I am willing to book more (topics listed on my website).

And I have picked up my next book project again (hence the chronology).  

On the weaving front I am weaving the last third of the current warp (2/16 cotton at 36 epi) and once this is done, the next warp will be the same blue warp but at 32 epi and further explorations with the shifted? overlapped? twill blocks.

So my bucket list has been culled, right down to the basics.  

Keep weaving (for as long as I can)

Write (this blog, perhaps another 'book' - but 'books' will be more modest)

Encourage anyone who wants/needs it

Help those that I can

All that travel I had hoped to do?  Now officially taken off my list.  As an introvert I don't need a lot of outside of the house busyness.  It's enough if I get my modest task list for the day accomplished (which more and more often includes an afternoon nap, given the lack of energy spoons most days).

But cheerlead from afar?  Oh yes.  I can do that.  (shakes pom-poms of encouragement) 🙌