Day Three Hundred Forty-Four: Sewing Machine Lesson

My mother-in-law has some amazing sewing skills. She can repair anything, and she creates and produces beautiful quilts and many other things. I have always thought of myself as a non-sewer, and frankly, I have never even really been interested in learning the skill. But on this visit to my in-laws' house, I decided that was faulty thinking, and on a lark, I ask my mother-in-law if she would teach me how to sew something on the sewing machine. She was more than happy to give me a lesson, and I'm so proud that, after practicing several stitches and getting a feel for the machine, I attached several squares of fabric together with some nice, straight(ish) seams. And, I didn't tear up any of the equipment or end up with a needle through my finger! And rather than feeling the overwhelming stress that permeated the estimated two sewing projects of my childhood 4H days, which caused me to completely swear off the activity, I actually really enjoyed it!

Playing around with the machine
and learning the different stitches

So thankful for such a great teacher

Day One Hundred Forty-Four: Polar Bear Dip

At noon, with the outside temperature hovering around 42 and a "feels like" temperature of 32 and almost-sleet falling from the sky, the six of us and my mother-in-law took to the sea for the 20th annual South Padre Polar Bear Dip. The water, at 60 something degrees, was definitely the warmest part of the whole encounter.

If you know anything about me at all, you know I consider any temperature below 70 to be freezing, and I always try to avoid being in cold places when I can. You may also know that I NEVER put my head under water unless I'm standing in a hot shower. So, today's First was very much a stretch for me. But I'm really glad I did it, and this one may be the one with the most life lessons packed into it (aside from lessons I'm still learning from the Ripstik incident).

Here are the top five life lessons I took from today's First:

1. You can't overthink a difficult situation. Sometimes you just have to jump head first into the next wave and go with it.

2. Pain is temporary. Even though you feel like you might die or never be able to feel your toes again in the moment, you eventually get over it.

3. It is easier to work up your courage when you are surrounded by an awesome support network that you can share both the bad and good with.

4. It feels really great to do something you didn't think you could do.

5. The best memories, stories, and lessons are just on the other side of your comfort zone.

Baby, it's cold outside!

Before

After