The title of this post comes from Angela Duckworth, the researcher famous for talking and writing about those who have what she calls “grit” — that innate quality that helps you to keep going. I used to show it to my freshmen English classes, in a teacher’s quest to motivate her students. But in a recent article on IdeasTed.com, she wrote about discouragement and surprisingly, even she gets discouraged. She tells the story of crossing the Rubicon, and how that metaphor came to mean a decision point. Duckworth has a list of “grit” items, available in her Ted Talk (video is at the bottom of that post), but now she adds one to it: “Setbacks don’t discourage me for long.”
I’ve saved the Advice for Discouraged Sailors in one of my computer files, and just like cleaning out a drawer, this scrap of an idea keeps popping up. And like Duckworth, there is this moment of decision, of stopping and steadying your boat and figuring out where to go. I’ve never been a sailor, but I can only imagine how critical the advice is to “seek the wind,” if you are surrounded by a water everywhere, with no land in sight.
So, incorporating both of those ideas — setbacks don’t discourage me for long, and seek the wind — I started (again) on my 2023 Temperature Quilt. I tried listening to a book when I worked and that was a disaster. I needed to study my compass, not be distracted, even if it is a good book. And I had this in mind:
Yeah, that’s a Temperature Quilt, all right.
I made progress, by cutting triangles, cataloguing them in my box and making a fabric key on the lid. To the lower right is the calendar for January, and that’s when I discovered that the color for 60-64 degrees F was missing. I had to order some, and it will be here hopefully Monday. But I pressed on, keeping notes where the gaps were:
I figured out that I wanted a stripe for precipitation, and figured out how I wanted to make it:
Clunky, but it works. These are my samples, not my quilt blocks. I have a PatternLite I’m working up so that people can download my bits and pieces, but I need to do more trials and add more info before it’s ready. Patience. But here’s my graphic so you’ll know I’m serious.
Sketches of the layout. If you want your strong bands of color vertical, that’s the middle image. If you want them horizontal, that’s the last image. I went with vertical, just like my last quilt. I’m still puzzling over what to do for the month block. I didn’t need a month block in my 2019 Temp Quilt, but I want one here because unlike 2019, I’m wrapping the days from one column into the next. I need something that will blend, but be distinctive.
Anniversary treats: two Totoro buns from our local bakery, and pink carnations. The Totoro buns have blueberry jam in them, with chocolate-dipped bases. It was a quiet, but lovely day, and I finished it with the Creatives:
A group of women from my town, and we are quilting, stitching, crocheting. Glad they all could come.
This popped up the next day, and it’s a reminder to myself to take social media posts with some caution. While I’m completely envious — and enjoy the scenery of all your trips and excursions — I’m well aware that there are bee stings, mosquito bites, schlepping the luggage, losing the luggage, fatigue, upset GI systems, missed connections and sore feet as well a glorious flower-filled grand square in Europe. Likewise, for this blog. I have my highs, my lows, my moments of satisfaction and other days when a good piece of chocolate is the only answer. Okay, maybe two.
So cross that Rubicon, seek the wind, and carry on with the journey–
Totoro and bee friend
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You are early this week! Reviewing quotes for my new HVAC and your email popped up. Oh, my, much more pleasant to read!
You neglected to mention two fuzzy butt dogs with diarrhea. Glad THAT’S behind me! You did not want to see that on IG!
Two things I love – the precipitation marker and the graphic! Why don’t I have a group that likes to create? Can I make one?
Loved the reminder of how selective our FB (and sometimes blogg) posts are. I like how temperature quilts keep getting more complex–and how yours adds rainfall.
Wow, what an undertaking! It will be spectacular!
I always enjoy your posts. That visual of steps to the top reminded me of my timer. A few years ago, Karen Brown with https://www.justgetitdonequilts.com/, had a video with a challenge of getting a timer and spending just 15 minutes a day tackling organizing our quilting studio. I have a list of things I want to accomplish in the year and month, so I use that approach. It’s amazing what can be done in a consistent 15 minutes each day. I put the timer on an hour when quilting. I feel like if I can just devote an hour each day to the quilting, I will keep them moving along. My husband kept borrowing my timer, so now, I have three of them in the house just to make sure I keep moving forward on the things I think are important in the long run.
You have my interest with the temperature quilt. I still don’t fully understand how to put them on the graph, so I will have to work on that some more. I do like including precipitation since we don’t seem to be getting much of it this year.
I love the look of the pieces you have pictured! I think this is a temperature quilt I would like to recreate someday. I look forward to seeing how it progresses!
It has certainly been a good year to add precipitation to your blocks! This is going to be beautiful. I have kept track of our temps in hopes of doing another temperature quilt this year, but I haven’t moved forward with it yet. Maybe seeing yours will inspire me.
Those little Totoro buns look very cute…and delicious. Out of curiosity, I looked them up because they are unfamiliar to me. Yes, I was right, you can’t buy them here in Australia! Your Creatives group looks really fun! I look forward to seeing our Temperature quilt develop. I am also struggling to see your vision but I KNOW it will brilliant!
Looks like you made some really great progress on the temperature quilt to me. The planning and organizing is definitely a huge part of the success of a long term and big project like that. I like that you are adding a stripe for rain. Oooh, speaking of rain, we got a little bit yesterday evening which was really delightful, and it left us with one of the more spectacular sunsets I’ve ever seen here as the storm moved westward and the sunset glowing beneath the rain cloud was an utter delight.
I sure hope that your anniversary and time with the Creatives was as much a balm as it appears. May we all keep seeking the wind.
Bravo! Happy Anniversary and thank you for your inspiring thoughts, wit and perspective. Hugs!
Happy Anniversary! Always enjoy seeing your perspective on life – you have a gift of words that conveys so much to me. Operating pretty much on grit right now, so appreciate the reminders of how to proceed.
Did you know your bee friend is Maja the Bee or in German: De Biene Maja? We used to watch those cartoons with the kids!
Ha! I like that idea that “setbacks don’t discourage me for long”, because of course we all have them.