Last month I wrote about memories, and making each and every
moment really matter. All year I had been challenging myself to realize dreams
and live life to the fullest. After all, you're only young once, and when I'm
old enough to look back, I want to enjoy a full portfolio of memories.
And now, for the first time in my life, I feel as though I'm on the right
track. The funny thing is, I always thought fulfillment would come in the form
of a big event, like becoming famous, or publishing a best seller, or falling in
love and getting married. But maybe that's not the answer.
Happiness seems to come with the little things, and choosing to
enjoy each experience, no matter how small or insignificant. And you have to
make adjustments for change. You can plan out your life just the way you want
it, but when it really comes down to it, life rarely follows the script. So you
can choose either to be disappointed, and stress about how it "should
be," or you can enjoy the ride.
One highlight of this month was when a friend phoned to announce
that she was getting married. The news was quite unexpected. I hadn't spoken
with her all summer, both of us being busy. Last I had heard, things were very
quiet in her life. It seemed as though the future was set, rolling out smoothly
for years to come, with no curves in it. And now, suddenly, everything was
different. We spent the next hour chatting and catching up on all that was
happening. Things had changed dramatically- in both our lives.
Another highlight was when a friend invited me to a local church
to hear a performance by Rescue,
an a cappella singing group. As it turned out, the music was lovely, and the
performers were great entertainers. Instead of using instruments, a cappella
singers use their voices to imitate drums, trumpets and guitars, etc. These guys
had it down to an art. And not only did they sing, they put on a clever,
choreographed show with a flair for comedy.
Afterwards, while waiting for my friend to buy the CDs at the
back table, I noticed the Rescue guys signing autographs. As I contemplated
whether to say hello or not, one of the artists actually approached me, and
commented on my "encouraging smile" during the performance. We started
talking, and the other guys nodded and smiled, and for a moment I felt as though
we had always been friends and known each other all our lives.
We ended up talking about the King's
Singers, and about how great a cappella music can be. Suddenly I realized my
friend had disappeared and was probably waiting for me. Just as I turned
to go, one of the singers added, "You seem to have a real appreciation for music. Thanks
for being here tonight." It wasn't until I was on my way home that I
realized I had failed to obtain an autograph. Oh well, chalk it up to another
good memory.
One of my longstanding dreams has been to design costumes. When I was a
very little girl, my mother would set me down with crayons and a thick stack of
paper and I spent hours drawing... dresses. I still have some of my early work.
They were extremely simple, but they were a start. Even my mom realized that
someday I would be designing real clothes.
That dream is swiftly becoming a reality. Though I love to wear
my Tudor gowns, my real joy is in making them. It's exciting to go from sketches on paper to actually making a dress you can wear. This month I set
aside my patterns and decided to try drafting my own. That was scary, and I
can't say it ended with success, but it was a good learning experience.
Thankfully, I'm using material I purchased at Walmart for $1 a
yard, and an old bed sheet that was ruined while hanging on the line (horse
pretended to be a goat and ate a big hole in the corner). I've returned to the
security of commercial patterns for the time being, but only until I regain the
confidence to try drafting again.
Photo a Day has been running smoothly, and maintaining it has
been a breeze since adding ASP. Some of the photos were rather pretty, so I
thought I'd repost them here:
Please enjoy:
Click the thumbnails to see a larger view.
Until next month,
-Brooke
