I had a tough day. Still fighting off the bug that knocked Josh out, I had too much to get done in the hours I had, and as soon as I got a handle on my workload, more was added on. People needed things from me, as they should -- not strange or unreasonable things -- just things they needed, and things I had to do. At the same time, lots is going by the wayside -- like the gym. I went one day this week, but then I got a work phone call while I was on the elliptical machine, and I took it, and my workout ended after 15 minutes. The rest of the week I didn't even make it there. Last night it was 11 PM before I ate dinner. I haven't had quality time with Josh, although I have been nursing him through his bronchitis with miso soup and encouraging him to stay in bed and watch TV shows like Giant Squid: Caught on Camera. And to top it off, a big gig I was expecting fell through at the end of 2010, so I'm in a push for new writing, video production, event planning, creative organizing, or other freelance work (in case you know of anything.)
There have been times in my life when I valued being over-scheduled -- kept myself busy on purpose, kept emotions at bay, and wore my scribbled calendar like a badge of pride. Now I try hard to build in down-time, time for enough exercise and rest, and time to say yes to spontaneous invitations. Even when the invitations come from myself. I had a meeting, and then I had a gap before my next appointment. I have been wanting to get to a yarn store for some time, so I could buy soft wool to make a scarf for Josh's mom's 90th birthday. I let it go too long -- her birthday is in two days -- but I did recognize the opportunity, and I asked myself out for a foray to the Brooklyn General Store, which I have been meaning to get to for years.
It's spacious and has a lot of wood bins and shelves, so it actually feels like a general store. And I know from general stores; I grew up with one. While the general store I grew up with was more ... general than this one (it sold products from milk to Silly Putty to BandAids to nails) the Brooklyn General Store is general in a crafty way, selling a wide variety of yarn, fabric, and notions. I went straight to the back, where they had a sale bin, where I found tons of super soft merino, marked down 30% to $5.00 a skein.
I wanted to disappear into a the portal, dig my hands into all the bins, design dozens of new projects, drink hot cocoa, sit in front of the fireplace and knit, and never come back out into the snow, the wind chill, and the stress. Instead, I chose a saturated indigo with a contrasting white, and found a new needle gauge, paid for it all, held the door for a stroller mom, and went back out into the real world, just in time to hear Mubarak's non-resignation speech on the car radio.
My troubles suddenly put into perspective, I drove to my next appointment, and imagined knitting a giant scarf to unite, inspire, and comfort all the protesters in the streets of Egypt.
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