Since becoming a mother what I miss most for my crafting is the ability to "binge" on a project. I miss being able to spend six or eight or ten hours across a weekend or even a single day just indulging my love of craft and my obsession with a current project or pushing a project to the finish line before a particular deadline. Getting used to crafting in stolen moments of calm and short bursts of the evenings has definitely hurt my sewing, if not my crochet, which is better adapted to being picked up and put down in a hurry.
So one of the joys of the last two years has been a friend's monthly craft days. One Saturday a month I get to leave toddler at home and catch a train by myself and spend the day with other craft inclined people and work on whatever I want. Some months I start lots of projects, getting them past the initial tricky stages to the point where they are more mindless and can be worked at odd moments. Some months I spend all day finishing projects. Whatever I want! And no little hands wants to "help" and no little voice demands I play instead. Because as much as I love my son and being a mum, I do need the occasional break.
This last month has been very stressful. I got a diagnosis. I got started on medication. And sadly September craft day was cancelled! I hadn't realised just how much I'd been craving that day. Because now I'm not just battling the time and attention demands of my zoomy boy (and all the other work of the house) to spend time on craft. I'm battling with my body and energy levels too. I hate being exhausted. I hate the way the medication makes me feel and can only hope that as we keep looking we find meds that work better for me. This is just another change to my routines that I'll cope with. I'll work out how to keep crafting despite exhaustion because I can't imagine my life being fulfilled without some kind of craft.
I am with you 100% on the bit about missing binge crafting. I still catch myself out thinking that I could knock something over in a weekend or stay up until it's done...just no. No. It's sad.
ReplyDeleteYou will find a way through though and don't forget - preschool!
Sweet dear, I'm deeply sorry that your medications are causing you feel even rougher. That is, in my personal experience, so often the case. Sometimes such is - so to speak - a necessary evil, but that doesn't do much to help temper the flood of unwanted side effects that they can cause. Please know that my thoughts and total understanding are with you to no end.
ReplyDeleteGentle hugs,
♥ Jessica
*PS* As I find crafting sessions (even 1 - 2 hour long ones) to be quite draining/challenging physically, I usually reserve them for late in the day. That way, if I completely run out of steam while crafting, I (hopefully) haven't barred myself from being able to do other tasks that might objectively be more pressing/time sensitive.
Thanks, Jessica! I appreciate the good wishes. My doctors have changed one of my medications since I wrote this and I seem to be doing a little better physically. Still not what I used to be but sadly that's likely to be my new reality now I'm on the immuno suppressants.
ReplyDeleteEvening tends to be the only time I can do large chunks of crafting anyway (aside from the craft days) because that's when my son is asleep. I miss daytime naps but he gave them up quite early.