I’ve mentioned many times before how I am seemingly incapable of following recipes, to which the following links attest:
Nonetheless, I love having recipes as a jumping off point. This morning, it was this from Austin Kleon …
I walked around the house with this in mind, thinking how I’ve been “stuck” recently … with so many projects that I can’t choose which to work on, so I do nothing.
Which brought to mind Remember 2016
http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/search/label/Remember%202016
where one small patch a day added up to something worthwhile.
And the Peace Pin Project
which likewise became more than the sum of its parts.
So I sat down, tore off a bit of cloth, and wrote “each day one small thing” …
which is what Austin Kleon’s quote had become in my mind.
But as I started to stitch I realized that my days, the good ones anyway, add up to far more than one thing. By the time I started stitching this I had already made myself breakfast, read the paper, started a load of wash, called (and called and called and called) my senators …
through ten minutes of busy signals and voice mail boxes before getting through to live staffers and lodging my opposition to the insanity they call tax reform.
And so the cloth got edited and became “each day many small things.”
I’ll probably have more to say about that, hopefully soon. For now, I’m going to go do some small things …
I'm Going to Texas (version 2.0) 
Oh Ha! I am really bad at following recipes, I never have all the ingredients asked for… the most memorable disaster was my one and only attempt at making a curry from scratch 40 years ago, it required a teaspoon of cumin, figured cloves would work as they begin with the letter \”c\” so I added a teaspoon of cloves, it was indeed inedible! Cooking is definitely not my forte!
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Mo – ha! I’ve got to tell a tale on Don. Likewise 40 years ago, he decided to get creative with a ham I had asked him to put in the oven for dinner. He found a recipe for a bourbon glaze, but all we had was Scotch. You can pretty much guess how that turned out. Fortunately he has long since redeemed himself as griller par excellence (excluding ham, of course).
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I love those socks – I think that's what they are! And the Austin Kleon quote – I'll stick with \”one small thing\” just as a reminder that one small thing per day becomes quite an impressive number of things after a while. But, yes, I do know what you mean, too … once you've done one small thing, you tend to do quite a few more right away. I've been working on conquering my terrible habit of staying up until 2, 3, 4 am … I've been going to bed at 11:30 and getting up at 8:30 and it makes such a difference! Full disclosure: I've only managed to do this for two nights so far. LOL.
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Oh Ha! Don's scotched ham is right up there with my curry for epic fails!
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Thank you for calling your senators. Responding to the call for \”one small thing\” does indeed unleash many things, as you have proved. Having finished and sent your beautiful pennon to Mo, I think you are justified in taking a while to find your new path forward and dealing in small things for a while.
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Morna – Yes, socks … which are actually too small for the wearer, but after being asked on three separate occasions to mend them, I couldn’t say no. And buttons, one of which tore through the soft flannel placket of the shirt. So I ended up backing the placket with twill tape and reattaching all four buttons (which is all you need when you’re only five years old). Good luck with your sleep plan … I have a bad habit of falling asleep on the couch rather than observing a regular bedtime.Mo – scotched ham … perfectDana – I think you’re right … it’s challenging to begin at the beginning after such a satisfying ending (and thank you). Small things will suffice until I work myself into the next big thing.
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I like your re-working – many small things. It feels like the sum of our days and lives is made for many small things, and they matter. Love that you all your senators so often! You go girl!
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Fiona – thank you … I am embarrassed to admit I never called my members of Congress until this year, but now it seems like every day brings new reason to voice my dismay.
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Liz…its a treat to spend this time with you, albeit, via ether space. Small things – great philosophy. I have so many things in the hopper, back burner, you name it. Yes, falling asleep in the recliner or on sofa seems to happen much more quickly than falling asleep in bed!
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One small thing – many small things – tasks do find the finish line with just one small step at a time…and every day I remind myself and work on projects that have a deadline first…with sometimes a crazy new idea taking up the stage for a while.Calling is a daily practice now for me rather than my past hit and miss pattern. My dear physical therapist told me the other day that she has on her cell phone the most frequently dialed number, that of our Republican Senator who listens to no one but his financial backers. ..more calls to him than to her dear husband! We shared a good laugh about that.Happy small finishes season to you, dear Liz.
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Sue – looking forward to seeing some of those projects on your blog, meantime wishing you (and all of us) restful sleepKristin – kudos that you call your MoCs daily … it’s aspirational. Each small thing has the potential to become a daily practice.
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