Ripening Apples

12 January 2016

Have you ever wanted to either know something or be something right now? The “I wish” side of our lives has been a coin flip away for me every single day. I wish I had skin that would tan like hers does. I wish my grades would just keep my head above water like everyone else’s around here. I wish I could make ends meet like every other normal family can. I wish my skill set would just be noticed every once in a while around here. I wish…

I am certain you could keep perpetuating this list from inside the depths of your head for more than a few more examples. So could I. My point today is not to whine about the what may be’s or the what might have been’s in life.

I am a Master Seamstress. Betcha didn’t know those sorts of creatures even existed, did you? Very few people in my life know that I can do this – I used to really put it out there, but there is a time to every season, right? I do not think I have ever run across a fabric related challenge that I could not ace with flying colors. Not to project fanfare out there with blaring trumpets (sorry Laurel, Janelle and Kirsten) but I am good. Really, really good. I was not born with a needle and thread in my hand. It was not a natural born trait that we Carlson women through the ages have gracefully embraced, per se. I guess the bottom line here is that I like math. Well, not actually like – adore is more like it. On warp speed. And sewing is all math. I have been ripping out zippers and cursing my sewing machine like everyone else. I have just been doing it for decades. When I stop and think about it – I add up a grand total of 42 years behind that needle and thread. That’s a lot of zippers and hems, cutting and clipping, basting and biasing. So what does this have to do with the “I wish” stuff?

Lots of people wish for things that others seem to do with the greatest of ease, not hardly aware of how long it took that person to prepare for your moment in time, your snap assessment of their marvelous skills. You probably have something like that in your own life. Cookie Maven. Computer Ninja. Mother Theresa. Road Warrior. [You can insert your chosen title here]. I do not begrudge the Cookie Mavens of the world. I love that they let me sift my paws through their cookie jars and leave crumbs in my wake. I so admire the Computer Ninjas in my world and rely heavily on them for balance and for rebooting my world again and again. And again. Thank you Eddie.

I think sharpening our skills is kinda like watching apples grow. I am surrounded by apple orchards where I live and I love watching them go through their processes of becoming perfect for market. Suppose you had an apple tree in your back yard. And how you LOVE apples. Pies, cobbler, salads, baked, smeared with warm sticky caramel, diced up and tossed about with other fruits in your compote – you get my drift. So you go out and examine your tree. There are apples up in those branches! Well – they are still pretty small. And hard. And green – but you are willing to wait. The next day you trek outside to have another look. Sheesh! Same deal! Question is – do you stomp back into the house and give up on your apples? Of course not. You just keep checking on them day after day. Seeing teeny tiny changes day after day. And one day you find that that they are ripe and ready and beyond delicious! Could not be better!

That is how our talents grow. Day after day, hem after hem, dusty floured kitchens and all. So don’t get discouraged if you are not down those 30 lbs yet or if your savings account is still only $11.68. Work a little longer, try again and just come away knowing that your apples are ripening day after day. I promise.