needle books and life

I read this quote over on Natalie Creates blog this morning and it really struck a chord with me.

"How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives."  Annie Dillard

Isn't that so true?  We can wile away our days waiting for all our ducks to line up and before we know it we have waited years away.

When I think about all the days I've lived doing just that I can feel such regret.  What I could have accomplished or the places I could have visited or even the mountains I could have scaled (metaphorically not physically, of course) if I had lived each day like it was a vital part of my life story.

But then I realize that how I've lived my life, each productive and squandered day, has been an important part of my story.  Each one has helped me to be ready for what has come next.  Each day has shaped me into the person I am now and am becoming.

Does that mean I just coast through life willy nilly without purpose because it's worked for me so far.  No, I don't think so.  I think it's important that I look back at what I could have done better and do it better the next time.  What regrets do I have?  What would I like to change in my life?  What is in my power to do to move me in that direction?  What do I need to just accept?

As long as there is air in my lungs there is time to change.  I can't go back and undo but I can do my best to set things right, whether others choose to accept it or not, and move on hoping to do better in the future.

Like these little needle books I make, each day is but a stitch in what it is to be a completed project. Each one is a vital part of what the end of my story will be.

xo, Patty