Finding My Way Back

It’s been a month since I last wrote here, which feels strange because a month can simultaneously feel like no time at all and an entire lifetime.

I kept thinking I’d sit down and write something worth sharing, and then another day passed, and then another. And somewhere in the middle of all that, life changed a little.

I’ve been dealing with a significant health issue that has brought with it a lot of appointments, conversations, decisions and, of course, plenty of things to think about. It has made me pause and look at life from a totally different perspective.

But even with all of that going on, life has continued to be full of other things — some big, some small, and some wonderfully ordinary.

I took a trip to Cape Breton, partly because I needed to get away and partly because I needed to feel energized again. There is something about being near the ocean that does that for me. The fresh air, the scenery, the feeling of being somewhere beautiful and different — sometimes you just need to step away for a bit and breathe.

I also met my great-nephew for the first time. He’s already a year old, which seems impossible. Meeting him was such a lovely reminder that life keeps moving forward and that there are new little people coming into our lives who bring their own kind of joy.

When I visit back home (Cape Breton), I don’t normally buy artisan pieces to bring back to Alberta, they usually stay at the cabin. This trip was different, I purchased two pieces of folk art and several pieces of blown glass, one shown here the others are on their way via Canada Post. The Octopus purchased at Glass Artisan Shop, North Shore, Cabot Trail. The Bee and seagull purchased at Flying Kite Artisan Shop in Baddeck, Nova Scotia 

Back at home, there have been plenty of projects keeping me busy. I’ve been choosing and planning the flooring for the in-law suite and finally finishing off the painting upstairs. There is something oddly comforting about making decisions about a house — choosing colours, thinking about flooring, imagining how a space will look and feel — especially when some of the bigger questions in life feel a little less certain.

And I’ve been thinking a lot about the future.

Perhaps more than I ever have before.

When something unexpected happens, it can make you look at your life differently. You start asking yourself what you really want the coming years to look like. What do I want to spend my time doing? What do I want to make room for? What have I been putting off because I always assumed there would be plenty of time?

I don’t have all the answers. I’m not sure anyone really does.

But I do know that I want more making.

More learning.

More trying things simply because they interest me.

Which brings me to sewing.

I’ve started learning, and I have an upcoming weekend sewing retreat that I’m really looking forward to. There’s something wonderful about being a beginner again — not knowing exactly what you’re doing, making mistakes, figuring things out and slowly getting better.

And, in another happy turn, I’ve joined the Edmonton Rug Hooking Guild.

I’m finding my way back to rug hooking, too.

I think I’ve missed the rhythm of it. The repetition. The colour. The feeling of creating something slowly with my hands. There’s something particularly satisfying about making something one little loop at a time when so much of life can feel as though it’s happening far too quickly.

Maybe that’s part of what I’m learning right now: I don’t need to have the whole picture figured out.

I can choose a floor.

I can paint a room.

I can learn to sew.

I can pull loops of wool through linen.

I can plan a weekend away.

I can spend time with a one-year-old great-nephew.

I can sit outside and enjoy these last beautiful sunny days.

And I can take whatever comes next one day, one decision, one little stitch, or one loop at a time.

So that’s where I’ve been.

Not writing.

But living.

And perhaps that’s not such a bad reason to have been away.

I’m finding my way back — to this blog, to my creative pursuits, and, in some ways, to myself.

And I’m glad to be here.

Warmly yours,
Wanda, xo ✂️🧶

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