Is it really September again? Time is a funny thing, isn't it? Sometimes it seems so endlessly slow (like anytime I'm bored and can't knit as in when work is slow and my boss is in our shared office) and then it speeds up exponentially. One minute it was the beginning of August and i was still basking in the glow of Sock Summit, and the next minute i've been to the beach and for 10 days in southern New Mexico, and BAM!, the kids are back in school.
The scheduling gods have been kind, though. We only had school starting and tryouts for one sport last week. This week, all sports start (3 for the boy:) and next week, we add on the girl's other activities. But that's ok; i just look at all the driving and fetching as knitting opportunities.
This year will see a decrease in volunteer activites for me and hopefully an increase in exercise. The other area I hope to focus on is reaching out and maintaining friendships. I'm blessed with more than my share of wonderful friends and I want to nuture these friendships in a very conscious way.
Naturally, any thoughts about staying centered and nurtured during our families hectic school year (including my darling husband's graduate study of accountaing while working full time) must involve the yarn business. I think I'm finally getting a sense of what i can really pull off in a week, month, and day and where the priorites should be. I also am finally accepting that Dragonfly Fibers isn't going anywhere. While i may cry a little from the stress, i'm not going to quit today. Even if it is hard. I need to make and dye yarn.
I used to think that it was selfish for me to spend time away for shows, and to make such a big mess in the house, and to always be braiding roving or tagging yarn instead of folding clothes or washing the kitchen floor. The house is still a mess, but the kids are growing up strong and healthy, and despite the little attention it gets, i really like my marriage. Somehow, our partnership is continuing to grow and be fun! I have also realized that our family benefits from the yarn biz.
Yes, the bball obsessed mer-boy was able to go to basketball camp this summer thanks to Dragonfly income but the intangibles may be even more important. Art and craft should be a priority, and it's good parenting to make doing these things a high family priority. To create is a fundamental human drive, perhaps after food, shelter, and safety, but still very important. If children learn how to be grown ups from what they see there parents do, then it's good to model making art, not to mention having a business, right? That's my story, and i'm sticking to it:)
For those of you who didn't come here to listen to me ramble on about family priorities, my etsy shop is OPEN. I have tons of Dragonsock and Sea Sock still to list and ...drumroll, a few new yarns to introduce. The first new yarn is so fabulous that it really deserves a post of it's own, so look for that to come soon. I'll give you a hint: my friends Gryphon and Sarah have developed it and have started selling it very recently;) Mine will have a different name that doesn't involve insects.
