Friday, June 01, 2007

It's the journey, not the destination

It’s true. As you get older, every cliché that you have ever heard turns out to be true. A picture really is” worth 1000 words”, “Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder”, and be careful to not “throw out the baby with the bathwater.” But there is one cliché that finally sunk into me this week. “It’s the journey, not the destination.” It’s words that I have heard a thousand times, but some of us are slow at grasping the full meaning. I have always headed for a destination….that’s just the way I am. I am driven by design. Since I was small, no matter where my family traveled, I always was drawing, and re-drawing what I saw. I have finally learnt that this just has to come out of me, and I can’t be settled until I have explored all of the options of a design. Now, in my later years, I have always loved the destinations that I was heading too. These destinations are often writing deadlines, art deadlines, and paperwork deadlines. And Cori can CLEARLY tell you that I need these deadlines, or I would continue to re-write, re-draw, and re-design everything that I have just finished. Cori will make sure that I finish a drawing, and move on. I sometimes think that is why God put her in my life.

But this week I have learnt to breathe, and really enjoy the journey. I know my deadlines are there, and once I reach them, there will be more deadlines, and that’s OK, because I am secure in knowing that I am headed in a direction, and not just adrift. I can look around my studio, and see all of my past journey’s. And do you know what? They were really great. While keeping up on our inventory list, I realized that Cori and I have created 99 original quilts that are now in our collection. Some of them are stunning, some of them are logical, some of them are practical, but all of them are a physical piece of the journey that we have taken as friends. And even the ones’ that make us roll our eyes and say ‘What were we thinking?’ have been apart of our trip.

And the best part of this trip? It really has been “the friends that we have meet along the way.” Isn’t that another cliché? But once again it is true. We think of you guys often. I proudly wore my RAINY LAKE sweatshirt on our last trip to L.A., and it brought back great memories. We talk about ‘the girls’ who come out from Dryden every year to see us. We laugh about all of our airport episodes. We are continually grateful when we walk into the large Manitoba Prairie Quilters guild meetings, and they know who we are….just like we remember who all of them are. And in-between, we get a few surprising e-mails or phone calls from kindred spirits that we have never met face to face…but truly brighten our day. Thank you to all of you that we have bumped into on this journey.

And finally, Cori and I had another one of our marathon phone conversations today….and the results will be seen by all of those attending our Hometown Retreat this year. We have big plans!!! And we hope that you will all be pleased.

And on my final, final note..I am going to ask you a question. What cliché have you found to be true? Just leave your answer in the reply box, and we will be sure to enjoy your wisdom.

Myra.

2 comments:

atet said...

Time flies when you are having fun -- oddly enough I just posted about this one on my own blog.

Jackie said...

I totally agree with atet....I spent the day quilting today, and it was 4 p.m. before I even realized that I hadn't stopped for lunch! I find the same thing with being with my grandchildren who are far away....my time with them just flies!