How do you quiet an anxious mind? You can go for a walk, or listen and sing along to some music, or maybe just take a shower. Often, I turn to crafting.
There are many different types of crafts of course, but whether you are taking pen to paper, scissors to fabric, or in my case this weekend: rope to a sewing machine, crafting requires focus on the NOW. Yes, we like to plan ahead, dream of what the outcome may be, but crafting requires focus.
CRAFTING is the art of mindfulness.
This weekend I CHOSE to turn a spool of rope from the Dollar Tree, into a bowl. I chose to use a sewing machine to SEW the zig zag stitches that would help the rope hold this new shape for which it was not designed. I needed to MAKE the needle land in the right spot each time, so that each stitch would be USEFUL. I needed to ATTEND to these details, so my raw materials could become something else.
But it’s just a rope bowl! How long could it take? What’s the big deal?
Yes, yes it is. It took as long as it needed to take on that day. And the big deal is that because I was focused on this one simple thing: CREATION, I couldn’t worry about any of the other things giving me anxiety. And by giving my brain a break from that fear, I gave my whole body a chance to recalibrate, and find peace.
Once I started the first few rounds of my bowl, I decided it might be nice to record the process. Start to finish took about half an hour. It was half an hour very well spent, especially since I am still glowing from the joy my cute new bowl brings me. I’ve sped up the video and condensed it down to a little over a minute. Take a little WATCH if you like!
Always Be Crafting... 