When it all becomes work.

Lately, I've been finding it hard to slow down. There always seems to be another task in the back of my head that needs to be done, and not nearly enough time to do it all. Im working on a number of projects at the moment, all of which demand my attention, my work environment has been tense and stressful, and the girls have all their end-of-year activities on and:swimming lessons, dance recitals, christmas parties.

And the news is full of violence. And the pollen is itching my eyes. And we've had restless broken sleep each night for various reasons. And it's all just a bit loud, a bit bright, a bit much.

I'm trying - REALLY TRYING - to keep slowing down. To breathe. To remember the really important things.

Im trying to carefully and deliberately to compartmentalise my work hours to keep work from bleeding into my day. When I plan to work for an hour, at the end of the hour, I close the program, get up and walk away from the computer.

Easier said than done.

Part of the stress is planning for a big market coming up. I've been spinning wool and dyeing roving late into the evening (aften way past when I planned to go the bed!) spinning wool until my eyes ache and my fingers are stiff. I want to have tonnes of beautiful things for the stall. Often I work myself to the bone like this, only to sell NOTHING on the day, and come home not even having my stall-money re-couped. That can be so disheartening.

But then I had a bit of an epiphany at a friend's house the other day. She made a comment about trying to find a craft that would be lucrative. She was going to try pottery, commentting on how she felt she'd be able to make more volume in less time. (Can I add as an aside here, that I do not mean to suggest in any way that this friend is materialistic or intends to sell-out and go into mass production! Merely that she was talking about the need to help supplement her family income! I hear that!) But it made me think about handcrafting vs mass-production. Would I sell-out if I could find some way to make this stuff pay?

And I realised I wouldn't. I really enjoy the spinning and knitting. I love the slowness and meditation of feeding out the fibre, and the suprise results of dyeing, and making bits and bobs for people I love who appreciate my pieces. When I feel like Im working to a deadline, or trying to make it profitable, I dont enjoy it. It becomes mundane, and becomes just another 'job'.

I have a job. I do this because its fun. Even when I get up in the dark, load the car, drive to a market, set up sit in the sun/wind/rain all day, and come home having not sold a single thing; I've still had a fun day.



So I'm not going to find another more lucrative thing to sell. Cos I love doing this. And someday I may have to buy a warehouse to store all my unsold bits and pieces, and then move in to it because wool wont pay my rent. Oh well.

But I AM going to remember to stop stressing about finishing items in time for the markets. I can never predict what's going to sell or not anyway! This is NOT MY JOB. (I should stop making it like one!)

And as for my actual job... :/ Weeellll. It pays the bills. Mostly. And the people are nice. Mostly. And I can turn off my computer, and not open my email, until I decide to be in "work mode" tomorrow.

Its been getting warmer too. We had friends over for our yearly "hazard reduction burn" (aka Bonfire Night) and the kids had a ball! I wanna plant more food in my garden. And take the girls to the beach more. And start doing some running again. Not for weightloss this time. Not for punishment. I dont do that anymore. Just for a bit of fun, and to get the dog out for some exercise. Thats another thing I have conciously decided not to make into a "job". It started to become one a while back, so I stopped, cold turkey. I realised I was using running to punish my body for being "too big". I was using it as a weapon to beat myself with, when I really needed to be my own friend.

The little voice in my head became a drill sargent. screaming out internet "fitspo" slogans: "You'll make time, or you'll make excuses!", "you just dont want it bad enough!. I imagined laying my boot into myself, curled in defense on the ground, kicking and flogging it to get up and get my 'fat ass' to do one more rep, when what I really shouldve been saying to myself is "...honey, you're tired. You've been caring for 2 little kids, a farm, and a sick partner all day on your own. It's ok to go to bed." I was my own worst enemy. In fact if i had heard anyone absuing someone the way I abused myself inside my head, I would've bodily thrown myself inbetween, screaming "STOP! STOP!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?! SHE DOESN'T DESERVE IT! LEAVE HER ALONE".

But I wasn't my friend.

I choose to be my friend now. I wont punish myself anymore.

So I choose to slow down. To log off. To stop making the things I love a 'job'. Even if I only have a few beautiful, hand made things on my market stall, they will be made with integrity and love. Even if I didn't push through to get that last email sent, at least I wont be stressed and yelling distractedly at my kids. Even if the house is dusty, and the garden's going a bit to seed and weed, Im not a size 12, and I havent worn my Garmin in months, it's ok. I can cut myself some slack and do something nice for me. It's what friends do.