Stringing the moments the hard way

I tend to do things the hard way; I also tend to do things well (just go along with it). I think the reason I do things well is that I do them my own way and don’t take shortcuts. As previously mentioned, “my own way” tends to be the hard way. Take my beading method for example. As a teenager I developed my own method of weaving beads. I had no one to teach me and had to figure out for myself how to achieve certain effects. The result was my own unconventional beading method involving stringing each bead one-by-one. Yes. That’s right. I painstakingly strung each bead on that Diamondback Necklace in the picture one… by… one. That would be the hard way. The result: an intricately beaded necklace, one of a kind, that reflects just how beautiful doing things “the hard way” can be.

That may be an interesting way to live a life: each moment, a bead consciously picked and strung. Imagine if at the end you get to take a look at the pattern you created by the way you strung your moments. Wouldn’t that be something? I want my moment-beaded life-necklace to be dotted with many colorful moments. At 27 I still have a lot of living I want to do and many more moments to string. Perhaps if I live consciously I can string an elegant and colorful pattern. I imagine living consciously each moment would be “the hard way” to live since so much of what we do is intended to distract our consciousness from the harsh realities of life. But at the end if I get the chance to view my pattern I can have that joy that comes with knowing I’ve just completed an amazing work of art.

(Photo by Kelene Blake)