I’m having electrical work done at the house. These electricians are amazing! I scheduled a free quote a few weeks ago, for upgrading the electrical panel and having the (very old) house rewired. The electrician was here two and a half hours! For a free quote! Talk about thorough!
He inspected the wiring in every room, opened outlets, checked light fixtures – and explained to me more about electrical wiring than I ever wanted to know. He declared I didn’t need my house rewired, as I’d thought. The flickering lights, etc., weren’t due to old wiring, or ghosts (in his opinion) but loose connections easily remedied by opening the outlet and light switch boxes, and twisting and capping wires properly. The electrical panel upgrade was something they could do, at what seemed a very reasonable price.
I scheduled the work last week. They VOLUNTEERED to start work on Saturday, to minimize my time off work. They showed up at 7:00 a.m., and worked hard all day, until around 7:00 p.m. One of the two electricians took ONE bathroom break. The other apparently took none. They were very considerate and explained every facet of what they were doing in great detail.
They’d explained the obvious up front – I wouldn’t have electricity for several hours. At first, I was nervous about the prospect. No electricity? How would I function? However, I soon resigned myself to a day without TV or Internet or WORK. Though I could have been productive cleaning or organizing, I decided I’d just relax and crochet. It was a dreary day, but fortunately not so overcast I didn’t have enough light to play with my yarn. I considered listening to my iPod and decided against it. Instead, I opted to sit in the quiet, with nothing but the sounds of nature outside… the birds chirping, the squirrels chattering, the airplanes roaring overhead… (I live fairly close to O’Hare airport.)
The cats and I enjoyed our day off. Cats are MASTERS of relaxation. They nap. They snack. They look out the window. They play with their toys. They dash up the stairs for no apparent reason. They nap again. They didn’t understand why I needed to crochet – they thought we should just nap and cuddle all day.
I sat and crocheted. Since I spend the majority of my life with intangibles (math and finance and insurance and computers), I love that there’s one facet of my life where I’m creating something I can SEE and TOUCH. I reflected on the similarities between crochet and life. Sometimes the plan is crystal clear. Other times, you’re not sure where it’s taking you. Sometimes you follow the plan and things work out well. Sometimes you deviate from the plan intentionally, and it turns out great and reflects even more of your own personality and creativity in the finished project. Sometimes you deviate unintentionally (oops) – and sometimes that works out, and sometimes it doesn’t.
It’s always good to keep an eye on where you’re going – and where you’ve been. Sometimes you can look back with pride at what you’ve accomplished and feel you’ve created something beautiful. Sometimes it’s a bit of an embarrassment – and sometimes you try to go back and correct your mistakes, and sometimes you have to live with them. It’s all a learning experience.
I wondered if crochet pattern designers realized the joy they bring into the world. I contemplated contacting the designer of the pattern I was using, to tell her how much I enjoyed working on the project. I know I love hearing if my writing brings a smile to someone’s face, or helps someone get the information they need. It’s a smaller portion of my life than the hours I spend checking math or generating computer code, but the results seem so much more important in a way that’s “real”. Giving someone cause to smile or chuckle… it just seems more worthwhile than giving a huge company accurate financial statements. At least it’s something that gives me more pride in the end.
When the power came back on, I could have quickly turned on my TV and computer and gone back to my usual multi-tasking of using the Internet while watching a movie, etc. However, I found myself reluctant to go back to my so-called modern life. I opted instead to stay in the relative quiet for a while, with my yarn, and my thoughts. In fact, I’ve already scheduled another day for the electricians to come back… and I’m looking forward to it.
Submitted for publication in The Greeley Citizen.
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