A Year of Gratitude – April 28, 2024

I found my gratitude in the workshop today. Instead of working at the sewing machine or in the kitchen, I was in the old barn working on a project.

It was a beautiful day and I was happy to be outside to enjoy it. The shop is close to the chicken coop, so I could hear our hens making their happy sounds while I worked. I could also hear the bright red cardinal that has been visiting our yard singing his tune from high up in the plum tree.

My mom and I had been planning this project for a few weeks now. We watched a few YouTube videos, we shared them with each other, talked about different approaches, and she surprised me with the materials to make a version as a test.

So, we spent a few hours in the shop measuring, sawing, drilling, and assembling. As usually happens with a project, we determined that a few of our plans didn’t translate as well once we were making instead of planning. So, we reevaluated and made new plans. I’m happy to say that they worked out much better.

That’s what I like about making. You can learn as you go. I didn’t see our first attempt as a mistake, it was just the first version of our project. The second version was better because it incorporated what we learned from the first one. I have every confidence that the third version will be better than the second. If it isn’t, we’ll make sure that the fourth one is.

It’s the same mindset I have when thinking about the garden. Each year is different, but I learn something from each success and every failure. I do my best to put those lessons into practice so that the next season can be better.

I’m trying to apply that philosophy to the rest of my life. I’m trying to remember that each failure taught me something. A few of those lessons were painful. I’d rather not have learned them at all, but I did and now it’s time to put those painful lessons to use so that I can make the next season better than the last.

This post is part of our A Year of Gratitude Series. You can find the introduction, inspiration, and entire year’s gratitude’s posts here.