Thursday, January 15, 2009

I now know why old folks get arthritis!

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My Granny Bumgarner rocking her awesome, GI Jane-Post-Chemo haircut proudly! I can tell you that my tenacity comes straight from her! I love you Granny!



You know they say, "50 is the new 30". I'm beginning to see the utter bull sh*t in that statement. In my life it feels more like "30 is the new 50!"

So, because I don't have enough to do in my life, and like Jay says, God forbid I do one thing at a time including JUST WATCH TV, I've taken up crocheting. Even though I've been on anti-anxiety meds for years, I still deal with this nervous energy that brews under the service all the time, and these incessent thoughts that I cannot seem to calm. Now, I'm sure that a little...um...street pharmisuticals would help, but I just have too much to lose to be engaging in any illegal activity. Now I'll be the first to recommend pot be legalized and if that were to happen, I might see what I thought, but as for now, I've got a good job, a wonderful husband, volunteer projects, and a lot more in my life and I just don't have time to go to jail. :-)

But anyway... I come from a long line of crocheters. My mom and her mom both crochet and have each taken their turn trying to teach me. Growing up around handmade crafts like that, though, one kind of loses the appreciation for it. We always had crocheted afghans my grandmother made, we always had hand made quilts from either grandmothers or great grandmothers. It was just "normal" and I assumed everyone's grandmother gave them enough afghans to keep an entire carrier battle group warm through the winter.

As I've gotten older though, I've realized that this is infact not the case. There are plenty of families devoid of family heirlooms and craft projects. I've come to realize how lucky I am to have so many things that my grandmother had made for me over the years, things that I can pass on to keep my children and their families warm. And there's nothing like feeling like you have the arms of your family warpped around you when you are alone and feeling insecure.

So, I've decided that it's my turn to start learning so that I can carry on this tradition as well. I guess this clarity has come about because of my grandmother's illness. She has cancer of something (I think it's the lining of the diaphram or something equally obscure like that). She's a fighter and stubbern as hell. She's 85, has cancer and still mows her lawn. I'm begging to think that she's too stubborn to ever die. But then again, I know that isn't true. But I've realized that she's going to take a lot of stuff to the grave with her if we don't get it out of her head and recorded somehow.

But anyway... back to the crocheting. I have realized why old people get arthritis! It's because they do this tiny, detail orinted, neddle work crap! I'm freaking 29 years old and my hands and elbows were aching last night from holding the yarn and the crochet hook! But then again, I have an obsessent personality and I don't crochet for an hour or so. I think I crocheted for over 4 hours last night! Hopefully, my hands and arms will get used to it, because I greatly enjoy it. It really helps to focus my nervous energy into something constructive instead of just running old conversations with my dad in my head and wishing I'd said this or that or the other. So, I guess a little soreness in my arms and hands is a small price to pay for some mental sanity.

So what traditons from your family are you trying to continue? And what tricks have you found to help focus any norvous energy into something creative and constructive?

2 comments:

Jess said...

I think it's awesome that you are learning how to crochet. Little known fact about me, I embroider. My mommom taught me how to do it. Growing up, she was always embroidering something for me. It means so much more now that I'm married.

bobthecowboy said...

Crochet! believe it or not, that's one I actually do myself. Although each scarf ends up being a crappy hat because I get lazy and just sew up the side. But yeah, rock on with the crochet wand.