Author: handicraftsowl

Sensible

To be sensible is to make choices based on wisdom or prudence, or what will likely provide the most benefit. A sensible person is practical, reasonable, and realistic. It is carrying an umbrella because it might rain later, or saving money for an emergency instead of spending every dime.

Almost all actions seem sensible to the person at the time. We all make mistakes, but the sensible thing to do is learn from them. Being sensible doesn’t mean you can never have fun or you have to settle for less. You should know your limits, but it doesn’t mean you can’t stretch them.

For me, though, being sensible also means to make sense of things. I hate to do something because that’s the way it’s always been done or just because someone says so. I’m not a monkey pushing buttons, I want to know why that button needs to be pushed and what happens when I push it. I don’t want to do something just because that’s the way it’s always been done. If I can find a better way to do something, I want to try it.

George Carlin once asked, “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” We all tend to be biased and think our way is the best, but the sensible thing to do is keep an open mind. You might learn something.

Resilient

Someone who is resilient has the ability to be knocked down by the hardships of life and come back at least as strong as they were before. They are able to change course, heal emotionally, and continue moving towards their goals.

Resilient people bend without breaking, like the willow in the wind. Being resilient also decreases stress. You can learn to be more resilient. In her book, “How to be Resilient”, Anna Barnes offers tips, assertive statements and activities, and shows how you can be a more flexible, strong, and resilient you.

Life is going to throw you a curve ball, it’s just a matter of time. Resilience is getting back up every time you fall down. You haven’t failed until you quit.

I have had a lot of negative things happen to me in my life, but I don’t let them define me. As Carl Jung once said, “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

Quirky

I have always been a little different. I am not a stereotypical girl. I was the kid who always asked, “Why?” I don’t follow the crowd, whether it be fashion or some other fad. I like what I like because I like it, not because some celebrity says I should. I am a geek and an artist. I like sci-fi and action films. And my taste in music can only be described as schizophrenic.

I march to the beat of my own drum. I’m not really worried what people may think of me. There’s a line in the song, “Garden Party” by Ricky Nelson that always stuck with me. “It’s all right now, I learned my lesson well. You see, you can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.” It doesn’t mean for you to be selfish, it just means that it’s impossible to please everyone, no matter what you do.

Standards change over time. What is considered “weird” now, may be “normal” next week, or next month, or next year. The bottom line is to be true to yourself and it will all work out in the end.

Patriotic

I am a very patriotic person. I salute the flag and stand for the National Anthem. My parents were at a fireworks show when my mom went into labor with me and I was born on the 5th of July. I am even distantly related to one of the Founding Fathers. Thomas Jefferson is my seventh cousin seven times removed. It’s pretty far back. Our common ancestors are my 13th great-grandparents, Roger Copley and Elizabeth Shelley Copley.

I come from a long line of military veterans going back to the American Revolution. I served as in the Navy, my sister served in the Air Force and her son is currently serving in the Army. I have worked for the Veterans Administration for over 20 years and my son has worked at a VA Medical Center for three years now.

Optimistic

Optimistic people have a positive outlook, are more confident, look to the future, and hope for the best in every situation. Pessimistic people have a negative outlook, are unsure or hesitant, brood over the past, and expect the worst in every situation. Being optimistic is less stressful and better for your health.

I have always been an optimist. I have even been called “Pollyanna”. She was a little girl who always found the silver lining. She played a game she called the Glad Game, where she tried to find something in every situation to be glad about. I believe things can always be worse and we should be grateful for what we do have. Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf from birth, once said, “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”

Eeyore is a sad little donkey that always expects the worst and he frequently loses his tail. Have you ever noticed that moods are contagious? If you hang around negative people, it tends to make you negative, too. So try hanging around positive people and see your own mood improve.

The Law of Attraction says that the energy you put out into the universe comes back to you and attracts more of the same. If you have a positive attitude, you will attract more positivity into your life. Listen to uplifting music and watch uplifting movies. You can’t plant weeds in your garden (your mind) and expect daisies to grow.

Winston Churchill once said, “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”  Like Pollyanna, we can strive to find the good in every situation and we will live a healthier, happier life.

Nonconformist

Do you remember as a child saying, “But all my friends are doing it!” and your parents asking you, “If all your friends jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too?” This rhetorical question was meant to point out that you shouldn’t do something just because everyone else is doing it.

I don’t decide how to live my life based on what everyone else is doing or follow fads. I have never been anti-establishment. I wasn’t a hippy, or goth, or punk, but I have always marched to the beat of a different drummer. I have looked back at the norms of society and realized that they change over time. What was normal and accepted 10 or 20 or 30 years ago might seem outrageous today.

I tend to question everything and do my own research. I also don’t believe something just because someone famous or in authority says it is true. Scientists used to believe that the sun and planets revolved around the Earth and any dissenters were considered heretics. Galileo, while not the first Heliocentrist, was tried by the Roman Inquisition and found “vehemently suspect of heresy” and they sentenced him to house arrest where he remained for the rest of his life. And yet, he was correct.

While conforming may feel safe and comfortable, there are many benefits to being a nonconformist. They are driven by possibilities. They ask questions, explore, and discover. Nonconformists are the ones who shape the world. Innovation is dependent on nonconformity. Henry Ford was an American industrialist who revolutionized factory production with his assembly-line methods. He said, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Leonardo da Vinci, the original Renaissance Man, was definitely a nonconformist. He even wrote backwards! He wrote using the mirror method because he was left-handed and didn’t want to stain the paper with ink. He was not only an amazing artist, he was also a brilliant inventor. His inventions include a flying machine based on the flight of bats, an armored tank-like vehicle, and a diving suit!

Just because you finished school, doesn’t mean you should stop learning. You are never too old, and it is never too late, to try something new. Julia Child published her first cookbook at age 50, Sam Walton founded Wal-Mart at age 44, Vera Wang designed her first dress at age 40, Laura Ingalls Wilder published the first of the “Little House” books at age 65, and Grandma Moses began her prolific painting career at age 78. It takes courage to step outside your comfort zone, but it is almost always worth it.

Being a nonconformist means thinking for yourself. Timothy Leary, an American psychologist and author said, “Almost everyone today is brain-damaged by our education which is designed to produce docile automatons.” Our children need to be taught how to think, not what to think. Others may say they have your best interest at heart, but when it comes down to it, they seldom truly do. That’s just human nature. The great thinkers didn’t take knowledge for granted. They observed and experimented. They pushed boundaries. And we can, too.

Musician

I play several instruments, but as I said before, I am a Jack of All Trades, and therefore, I am a master of none of them. I started playing clarinet in the 3rd grade. I chose clarinet because it was one of the instruments my Dad played, too. I had a beautiful, wooden Artley clarinet that had my name engraved on it. I was in concert band, orchestra, and marching band all the way up until college. My Artley was stolen, but I found a similar one on eBay. I even still have some of the sheet music from Junior High and High School.

“People of Note” by Laurence McKinney was originally published in 1940 and is a collection of poems about different instruments found in a symphony orchestra. I love this book because it has a fun poem about the clarinet. I originally found it in a thrift store when I was a teenager, and I still have it decades later.

I took up playing the ukulele after my grandson was born. I wanted to learn how to play lullabies to him. The first song I learned to play was, “You are my Sunshine”, and it is still his favorite. I tried learning to play the classic acoustic guitar, but the metal strings hurt my fingers too much. The ukulele is so much more fun to play and it is pretty easy to learn a wide variety of songs.

I don’t know if most people think of it this way, but another instrument I play is my voice. In other words, I love to sing. I may not be Mariah Carey, but I was good enough to be invited to join the mixed Staff/Student choir my sophomore year in high school. I also enjoy singing Karaoke with my friends.

There are other musicians in my family, too. My sister plays piano and flute. Her son is a drummer, and my son plays guitar, bass, ukulele, and he recently started playing the mandolin. I guess we are a musical bunch.

Loquacious

A loquacious person is someone who is chatty or talks a lot. When I’m on the phone with my sister or best friend, we can talk for hours. I’m definitely an extrovert and I chat with strangers all the time. I am always starting conversations with someone while waiting in line, or on the train. In school, I was called “teacher’s pet” because I sat in the front, and was always raising my hand to answer questions in class. I actually feel uncomfortable when the teacher asks a questions and people just sit there.

I’m an open book, and sometimes tend to overshare, but I really try not to. I make sure to read the body language of the person I am with so I don’t make them uncomfortable or bother them. I also have to concentrate on not monopolizing the conversation. Sometimes I just get too excited, especially if I have a story that goes with what the other person is talking about. I like to get to know people and feel connected.

I may be talking quickly, but behind the scenes, my brain is going a mile a minute! It’s like the duck on the pond. He looks like he is swimming serenely along, but his feet are paddling furiously under the surface. People tell me that I am so random. If they ask me, I can always list all the links that got me from Point A to Point Z in the conversation. But, even I sometimes lose my train of thought.

Kind-Hearted

I firmly believe that when you are kind to others, kindness will come back to you, like a boomerang. What goes around, comes around. It doesn’t have to be some grand gesture. Sometimes a simple smile can make someone’s day.

I have never understood how some people can be so rude or mean to others. Especially when they want or need something from that person. So often, the person they are being rude to isn’t even the person who caused the problem in the first place! I make a point to always be nice to people who are making or serving my food (I don’t want any extra “seasoning” in it!), or people that I am trying to get money from, like when I am trying to return an item or get a refund, etc. People are much more likely to help you if you are polite to them.

I have always enjoyed helping people. I have worked for the Veterans Administration for 23 years now, helping my fellow veterans with their disability claims. I also enjoy volunteering at charity events. The VA has an annual event called Stand Down which helps veterans connect with others who have had similar experiences, and provides a comprehensive support network for homeless and other high-risk veterans.

Are you a kind-hearted person? Click Here to read an interesting article on Psych2Go and see how many signs fit you.

But, one thing to remember, just because you are kind, doesn’t mean you need to be a doormat. If you make yourself a doormat, people will wipe their feet on you. If someone hurts you or takes advantage of you, it’s okay to let them “no”, or even just remove them from your life.

Jack (or Jill) of All Trades

A Jack (or Jill) of All Trades is someone who is good at doing many things, but not usually great at any one of them. The saying usually goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none”, but some people add, “but better than being a master of one!”

I’m an artist and a handicrafter. I paint, piece quilts, sew dolls and their clothing, crochet, knit, and make jewelry. I like to say that some of these skills will be useful during the zombie apocalypse since I can make things to keep people clothed and warm. Otherwise, I’m going to need to trip someone in order to stay alive!

I don’t think you need to be an expert at any one thing. There is always going to be someone out there that is better at something than you are. We can always improve our skills, I think it is more important that we continue to grow.

Personally, I love learning new things. I am a perpetual student. I used to check books out of the library to learn new things, but now my favorite thing to do is watch tutorials on YouTube! I have known how to knit since I was a child, but recently learned the continental method, which is more like crocheting and is much faster.

I seem to always have a dozen projects going at one time. I do finish them, eventually, but for me, it’s more about the journey than the destination. Having a deadline to finish something just turns it into work, and where’s the fun in that?