As 2017 drew to a close, temperature scarves or afghans (a row finished each day for one full year –with the day’s high temperature determining the yarn color you use) were all the rage in my crafty/quilty social media feeds.
I thought it sounded like fun! For a little twist, instead of working from January 1 – December 31, I started on November 25, my son’s 14th birthday, with a plan to give it to him on his 15th birthday.
It was slow going with only one row each day. Not exactly awe inspiring. I’m not a patient person by nature, and I wanted the days to go by faster so I could feel like I was getting somewhere.
But, I stuck to the plan of one row per day. After all, if the high temperature of each day determines the color of the row, there’s no way to cheat.
You have to wait.
If time creeps along at its own petty pace, I crocheted at mine.
By the time Christmas rolled around I had several inches. Not much, but respectable.
Another month, a few more inches. Then a few nights ago, I stretched out the afghan across my legs.
By golly — it was starting to look like something. Somehow, without my really noticing, I’d “gotten somewhere.”
Life’s often like that, and it’s only by stopping regularly to take note of where you’re been and where you are now that you see how far you’ve come.
When I feel impatient, I remind myself: a little progress is still progress.
Celebrate the small steps. They got you to where you are!
On any given day my afghan may not grow very much, but over an extended period of time, all the rows add up to something big.
Because big things take time.
Always.
It doesn’t matter if it’s raising a family, making a quilt, building a house, or becoming a world-class athlete. There’s simply no way to do everything all at once, and pretending there is is a recipe for disaster.
My afghan is supposed to take a year to make, and there aren’t bonus points awarded for a speedier finish.
Next time you’re feeling pressured and in a hurry, ask yourself, “What’s the rush?”
There may not actually be one.