Going analog for a few hours

I was listening to a podcast a while back (I know, shocking), and something the guest said has not left my head.

Being up in Door County, surrounded by artists and musicians, brought this to mind again. 

This guest talked about living an analog life after 6 pm and how they try to live an analog life on the weekends. He spoke of making things with his hands and having his kids do arts and crafts to give their brains a break from their digital lives.

I was very crafty growing up. We had a neighbor who was an art teacher, and we would take classes at her home every summer. We were taught by another neighbor how to weave rugs, and I  loved to rug hook, cross stitch, crochet, and knit. 

Some years back, I just stopped. 

I’m not sure why, but I think it takes a lot of patience, and I wasn’t always sure what to do with all the things I made. 

I do remember about 15 years ago struggling with debilitating headaches. The one time I recall it receding was taking a mosaic class with a few friends. The entire hour we were there, I thought of nothing but where to place the next piece.  After I left, the headache would return.  It taught me a bit about what may have been happening in my body and mind, and I was fortunate to get great help from my chiropractor. 

Fast forward to last week, when I received a beautiful gift from one of my Pilates students. It was a hand-stitched piece of artwork with a beautiful message. What came to mind mostly, besides how much work she put into this piece, was that with every stitch, she thought of me!

I can’t begin to explain how grateful and humbled I felt receiving this.  

This week I went to a cool place in Door County called Hands on Art Studio.  Each barn has a space for a different art project to work on. My goal before they close for the season is to head over and try the mosaics and the glass melting. I’m excited to try an analog life for a bit, and hopefully, someone will be grateful on the receiving end. 

Personal gift received