Two stories to share with you after a week of sniffles and umbrellas and working when I wasn't planning to:
1. Sometimes Twitter takes good care of your feelings
Earlier this week I was on the bus. I was in a foul mood. I was soaking wet and crowded and sick to boot. And I tweeted something like this, "I wouldn't normally believe in saying that I'm miserable. But today I am. Sick and cold and tired and miserable." I texted Twitter several times from that bus, but that was the only tweet that didn't get through. I like to think that it was the internet protecting me from my worst self.
2. Sometimes it doesn't and you knew better anyway, didn't you?
Swaps, circle journals and sketchbook exchanges all sound like a great idea, until I'm nearly finished. Then the second guessing starts. "Is this good enough? Will they like it? Will I be drummed out of Creative Types Limited? Do I fail?" That happened tonight, as I get my ornaments ready to mail into an ornament swap. So I took my doubt to Twitter. I was looking for reassurance, let's face it, although I had myself fooled. And what I got was a very kind person, who thought I was complaining about what I had received and was preparing to be supportive. And how I ended up feeling was that there was room for doubt, that these could be the short end in an exchange.
I am thankful for this reminder.
All we can do in any situation is our best, but we also have to stand behind it.
So no, I will not put the internet in charge of my feelings!
These are what I am sending in. They are made from pure merino wool, cotton embroidery floss and frosted Indian lampwork beads. They have taken hours to wet felt and stitch together, including some extra time for trial and error in the design. I was thinking snowballs, and added the snowflakes to underline that. If I saw these in a shop, I would buy at least one. I am making myself a spare, so I can keep it. I've done my best and I like them.