Once again this morning (or early afternoon) I am reminding myself to be grateful to be here, thankful to be able to do all that I do and not sad over what used to be.
What brought on this introspection you ask…….something so very simple, and yet profound to me.
Many years ago, when I was in school, I was tested and put in accelerated math classes. And as an adult, my first career was as a bookkeeper. I was good at math.
But a few years ago things changed, I got sick (I’m BETTER NOW), and yet I struggle with math. If you’ve gone through any life-changing issues, you know what I’m talking about. There are days you look back at what was and ponder what is now. If you’re lucky (or having a good day) you realize change is inevitable in one form or another as life progresses and you move on.
So what truly made me realize again today how much life has changed? I heard of the John Flynn method for piecing a diagonal backing. And I looked it up on the internet. And I read the math formula to do that……….which may as well have been in Greek. Apparently I have lost my ability to understand algebraic equations…………
Thankfully we have calculators and simpler construction methods……….but I sure wish I could still comprehend math like I used to! I remember the days when I would have looked at that equation, comprehended it and started doing the math in my head!!!!
Which left me thankful today for all that I still have……….all that I still can do…… for the return of good health………and for great computer programs that do the math for me!
Now I’m off to go do some non-math related quilting, to be followed by some painting………………and when DH gets home I may have him help me work through that formula so I can understand it.
Hi Judy,
I just went to your archives and read your post “Learning to Draw”. It struck me. You say you were ill and lost your math ability. Look what you can do now-you are so artistic. One of my favorite sayings is that things happen for a reason and there’s a reason for everything.
A door closed but a window opened and what a window it is!
Great post Judy!
I’ve always been good at music but not math, so imagine my surprise when I read Pythagoras in HS, and discovered that music was based on math!
Sometimes what our strengths were in the past are eventually combined with what we’re good at, and have a passion for in the present.
Looking at your quilts, I see a lot of geometry there. You’ve added your creativity and art to work along with it. You took your ability in math and made it 3 demential instead of 2. So you haven’t really lost your ability for math, it’s just applied and looked at from a different perspective. To attempt to go back and look at things in the old way, is waaaay too much work, and not nearly as fun;)
Glad to hear you had a restful and well deserved vacation and good to see your back producing beautiful work!