Many years ago, my step-sister gave me a tapestry that she had sewn by hand. It was a gift. She had framed it, wrapped it and presented it to me. But, it was unfinished. There were all loose threads in the back, a knotted mess. She had handsewn most of the three kittens and their skeins of yarn. She shared with me as she gave it to me that she hadn’t had a chance to finish it yet. In the moment, I distinctly remember, at that moment, so many years ago, focusing on the fact that the gift was not finished. It seemed so weird to me that somebody would give a gift that was unfinished. I couldn’t help but focus on the unfinished part. I still have the framed hand made gift my step- sister had given me, just as she had given it to me.
As life tends to go, we never got back around to me getting it to her to finish; I didn’t offer and she didn’t ask. But now, when I look at it, I focus on the finished part, the beauty of it, the generosity and thoughtfulness of her doing all the work she did on that. And, this is how I have worked to view the world around me, noticing what folks have done, their efforts, their intentions. This has been and continues to be a journey of growth for me. I am a cheerleader by nature, but also am a perfectionist in recovery. So, I have learned to let a lot go. Dr. Phil says “Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy?” That line really speaks to me; for me it had become dichotomous like that.
So, I have worked to see and appreciate all of the positive around me, such as the beauty and thoughtfulness of the tapestry my step-sister sewn for me so many years ago. And in this, I have come to better understand the world and the people around me on a much deeper and more genuine way. This has helped me tremendously in my journey to understand.
Until next time,
Robin
myonewordjourney 