BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl

Tag Archives: scrapbooking

Reconnecting

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Four women on a video call screen smiling and waving, with two women smiling nearby
Not really us, but look at those dazzling smiles!

I feel like things are moving in the right direction for me. My health is improving, my energy level is increasing, and my connections with others are strengthening.

Recovery from recent surgery (nothing life threatening, but not fun either) is going well. At first it was awful. The “one week off before returning to work” just did not work for me. That one week turned into two, and my recent paycheck took a hit because of it. My situation with time off is a little complex, and the long and short of it is I took more hours off than I had available, so my pay was docked. Oh well. One body, one life, one extra week to heal. It was worth it. Now I’m up and around, energy is back, and although I’m not 100%, I’m well on my way. I’m also living in a smaller, easier to manage body, and that’s a huge plus.

During that recovery period, I was scheduled to host our monthly Bunco game. With the help of my sweetheart and my amazing friends (not to mention my favorite pizza place), I was able to pull it off with very little effort. They did just about everything, and my kitchen was pristine before the last girls left. I love those ladies; spending time with them is good for the soul.

The following day we had a low key lunch planned at another friend’s house, and I was pampered and fussed over and generally cared for in a way that only your girlfriends can do.

Speaking of girlfriends, not too long ago I received a text that one of our longtime online scrapbooking club friends had passed away. This online group changed my life in so many positive ways. I got active in the group when my son was about three years old. He’s well on his way to 30.

I made lifelong friends in the group, including my dear friend who lived on the same street as me. Yes, we met on the internet, but lived less than a mile apart in the same neighborhood. In addition to being neighbors, we realized there were some odd coincidences between our lives. For example, my son’s first and middle names are her two sons’ names (in the same order). There are other weird things too, but you get the idea. It was fate, plain and simple.

Anyway… this group became a huge part of my life for several years. We had multiple get togethers, and I was lucky enough to participate in events across four different states. Friday nights we had online chats that kept us connected. We had challenges and swaps and all sorts of fun things, but mainly we were there for each other. Births, deaths, marriages, divorces… we saw it all, and we shared genuine affection for one another. It was a remarkable experience.

We lost our first member way too young. Cancer. Not much more to say. Then, this month we lost another. Also cancer. Horrible. But her passing, and the woman who we affectionately refer to as the “team captain” brought us back together. Our team captain shared the sad news in a group text, and it allowed us to reconnect. Many of us have been online friends over the decades, but we lost touch with others. All of a sudden, there they were. We were talking again. Sharing news. Sharing updated pictures. What a gift. Our friend would have been so happy to know that she had a part in bringing us back together.

Now my formerly down the street friend and I live miles apart, but we have plans to get together. It’s been too long. We try to see one another now and then, but life often interferes. Not this time. She invited me to come along with her to a workshop to try something new. I’m in. I don’t know if I’ll enjoy the activity, but I know for certain that I’ll enjoy the company. These recent events have reminded me that life can be unpredictable. Take the trip, call the friend, try the new activity, get outside. Take time to notice it all, especially your people. And pets. Don’t forget your pets.

OH!! And I almost forgot to mention. I’M GOING TO SEE BTS!!!!!!! But that’s a whole other story.


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Did I Really Write That?

I’ve been at this blogging thing since June of 2013, so a solid five years now. In that time I’ve published nearly 700 posts. Most of them have a fair number of words to them. Some, however, are quite short, and feature photos or a video instead of my usual ramblings. Still, that’s quite a few posts.

The thing about it is, I can’t actually remember writing all of those posts. It’s almost as if I was in some sort of stupor when I published them. Not all of them, of course, but I have stumbled across several that make me scratch my head in wonder. Are these really my words? Did I really say that?3d-clipart-question-mark-20.png

It’s not that I disagree with my past self, or that I’m embarrassed by anything I’ve written. At least so far I haven’t been. It’s just that it seems like the act of writing should leave more of an indelible mark. I ought to remember my words, as I remember the quilts I’ve made or the scrapbooks I’ve created.

Maybe words are just too common. Maybe it’s more like trying to remember meals I’ve cooked. Some stand out, for various reasons, but most just fade into the background to be forgotten. Maybe that’s how it is with words. Sometimes they stick, but other times they say their piece, only to be quickly forgotten.

I don’t mind, really. Sometimes it’s fun to see the suggested posts at the bottom of my screen and click on an old post. Sometimes it’s like seeing an old friend, but other times it feels brand new.


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To Everything There is a Season

Of course those words aren’t mine, but I was reminded of them the other day when I was lamenting my current creativity slump. I was talking to an old friend (not that she’s old, the friendship is, as friendships go) and I told her that I hadn’t done anything creative in a while.

We are long-time quilt buddies. Years ago we met in a local quilting group and we clicked. A small group of us became good friends and took on a few fun projects together. We met at each other’s homes, visited with each other outside of our regular quilt group meetings, and planned outings. It was a fun time that unfortunately came to a close when I had a kid and several of the girls moved away. Things change.

My friend and I (and several of the others) kept up on Facebook, but we hadn’t actually spoken in years. I wanted to have one of my old quilt tops finished and she does them professionally, so I gave her a call. It was wonderful.

So silly, I thought making a phone call would be a big deal, but it wasn’t. It was easy. We talked and laughed and made plans to get together, which we did. I regret not calling her sooner, but I won’t beat myself up about it. Gotta keep moving forward, after all.

Back to her wisdom, though. She said something that stuck with me; something I found comforting (was I in need of comfort? maybe). She said that it’s okay to be in a fallow season. Nothing grows all the time. Of course. In nature there’s an ebb and flow, so it stands to reason that a person has those types of cycles as well.

So maybe I’m in a fallow season, but I think it might be drawing to a close. I’m starting to feel the desire to create again, and I’m glad. I LIKE creating, just for the sake of the doing. Having a nice finished product is a bonus, as far as I’m concerned.

Yes, I love the quilts I’ve made (most of them, anyway) and the scrapbooks I’ve completed put a smile on my face, but the doing is what I enjoy the most, or as least I have, in the past. I hope to recapture some of that feeling, after all it would justify at least some of the goodies I’ve collected over the years. In the meantime, I can be satisfied with the knowledge that nothing grows all the time, and for that I thank my friend.