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JetBlue
Isn’t it interesting how one event can change our mental associations?
Whether the flight attendant on JetBlue was in the right—or the wrong—haven’t we all been there? Although most days we are able to slide smoothly through every crisis, sometimes we run across a day that is just too much! Too much to do. Too much going wrong. Too much unfinished. Too much of too much!
At times we even reach the breaking point with our quilting. The needle won’t stay threaded, or the thread keeps breaking. The directions don’t make sense, or we happen to read them wrong. There isn’t enough fabric, or we made a mistake while cutting. As our attitudes slip and our fists begin to clench it might be wise to tell ourselves, “Step away from the rotary cutter!”
Most of us have projects tucked away that have rubbed us the wrong way at one time or another. Rather than doing what we really wanted to do—rip it to pieces—we did what any mature quilter would do and put it away for a calmer, clearer moment. Will we ever finish them? Who knows? But what can you do when a project is pushing all of your buttons, and your only choice is to finish?
Frustration can be a tricky thing. Although sometimes it is possible to power through and finish a difficult project, sheer determination might also undermine our ability to look for help. As internal tension mounts it becomes more and more difficult for us to think clearly—and impossible to explain our problem to anyone else.
Every once in a while we hear from someone who has reached that tipping point. How do we know? THEIR EMAIL IS WRITTEN ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS AS THEY SHOUT AT US THROUGH CYBERSPACE. A phone call is focused on what we’ve done wrong rather than how we can make things right.
Make a mistake? Please let us know. We’ll try to track down the pattern you forgot to order, the cloth that you accidentally mis-cut, or the additional yardage you realized you need. When we make a mistake? Have a few facts ready to share such as: the name of the program or kit, the date the order was placed, what you received vs. what you expected.
Perhaps things would have gone more smoothly for the JetBlue flight attendant if everyone on the plane would have been living by the Golden Rule. “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” There is a real person behind each uniform, on the other end of the phone, and reading each email. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to others.
And make plenty of time for the enjoyment of simpler times.
The gang at Homestead Hearth
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