Nothing Is Easy

I am going through a season of life where nothing is easy. 

Our culture celebrates productivity. We admire people who are busy, efficient, and constantly achieving. But, life has a way of reminding us that none of us controls the pace forever. Illness, aging, unexpected circumstances, or simply the twists and turns of life can change everything.

Living with chronic pain has changed more than my daily routine. It has changed my expectations of myself. Acceptance has become one of the hardest lessons to learn. It feels like a bitter pill—rather like the medication–that I take twice a day to keep my nerve pain under control. I still hope that new treatments, better posture, and time will allow me to regain some of what I've lost.

What used to be straightforward now seems to require several extra steps. The amount of tasks I can fit into a single day is only a fraction of what I could accomplish a year ago. Things that once happened almost automatically now require planning, patience, and far more energy than they used to.

Just yesterday, I had to print a quilt label. Instead of simply pressing Print and moving on to the next task, I had to feed paper through the printer several times before I finally managed one clean, unwrinkled label that was good enough to use.

Then, there was the grocery shopping. Ingredients that had always been staples in our cupboards suddenly seemed impossible to find. One stop became two, then three, before I finally returned home with everything I needed.

I also spent the better part of the afternoon preparing our guest room for the son who was planning to visit from out of town. Since my sewing room doubles as our guest room, that meant packing away projects I was in the middle of, carrying equipment into my bedroom, and finding temporary homes for everything that normally has its place. Just as I finished, I received a message saying his plans had changed and he was sleeping elsewhere instead.

None of these would have bothered me very much in the past. They were simply inconveniences. Now, they feel much bigger because every unexpected detour uses energy and momentum that is in short supply.

Nothing is easy right now. And I need to be patient while finding a new normal.

Karen's Quilt Circle

I interviewed my next guest several weeks ago and have been able to take the editing side of the equation much slower than usual. But, learning more about the hemp industry has been very interesting. The textile world is changing as we rediscover fibers that were used for centuries before the industrialization of cotton and, later polyesters, pushed them out of use. And it’s not just linen. There’s rami, mulberry, kapok and hemp to name a few. The hemp plant is not only good for the environment, it has multiple uses and hemp textiles is one of them. Morgan Tweet, CEO of INDHemp, generously answered all my questions about getting this crop from farm to fabric.

Listen to any of my Karen's Quilt Circle podcasts on the YouTube Music app here. 

Live Q&A

On Tuesday, I took some time at the beginning of my live Q&A to explain the chronic illness that I've been suffering from, trigeminal neuralgia. If you'd like to learn more about it, click below.

Hope is important, and I don't intend to give up. But I'm also beginning to understand that constantly waiting to become my "old self" may keep me from appreciating the person I am today.

Traveling with Karen

Luckily, traveling and site seeing do not seem to bother my jaw! And next year's cruise has just been released.

Join RGE Travels and K&B Sewing for an unforgettable Mediterranean adventure filled with breathtaking destinations, rich history, incredible cuisine, and the warmth of traveling with friends. Our journey begins in beautiful Italy, where we'll board the luxurious Celebrity Ascent for an unforgettable 11-night cruise. Together, we'll explore the timeless beauty of Greece & Turkey and experience the charm of the island nation of Malta. Click here for more info

A couple extra rooms have been released to us for the winter markets cruise and are available for a short time. We have some fantastic excursions planned and lots of chocolate, music and holiday cheer. Christmas Market River Cruise in December.

Karen's Quilt Crew

Join us tomorrow for comradery and great conversation. If you are a member of my channel you can find the zoom link on my community page.

For much of my life, I measured a good day by how much I accomplished. A clean house, errands completed, meals prepared, sewing projects finished, appointments kept—it was satisfying to end the day with a long list of things crossed off.

Now, a successful day looks very different. Attacking a pile of paperwork means using a neck brace and a timer so it does not trigger my nerve pain. Sewing is the same. Longer breaks and longer timelines, but perhaps that doesn't make the day any less worthwhile.

Every day, I still feel frustrated. Days when the simplest task becomes unnecessarily complicated or I just can't even try. Every day, I miss the energy & momentum I once took for granted.

But maybe the challenge isn't learning how to do everything we used to do. Maybe it's learning to value ourselves even when we can't.

If you're in a season like me where nothing seems easy, I hope you'll be gentle with yourself. Progress isn't always measured by how much we accomplish. Sometimes, it's measured by our willingness to adapt, to persevere, and to find joy in a life that looks different than the one we had planned.

Take care,

Karen

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