This was an ornament I picked up in Concord Massachusetts after spending several days there visiting Louisa May Alcott's home, revolutionary war monuments, and walking Walden's Pond. I was definitely having my Thoreau moment while there, and wanted to remember it, so the ornament was perfect. I came home, completed it, and sent it to the finisher. As it turned out, the finisher didn't think she ever received it. I came across a quote from Thoreau that said "A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone." And so I decided to let it alone.
My finisher called the following year and told me she had a Christmas present for me- and there it was, my cabin, found and finished! If you want a closer look at any pictures on my blog, just click on them and you will be able to see much better detail.
I did my own stitch guide for this and liked the stitches and threads I used. But even more, I love the memories it conjures up of a time and place where intellectual thought and practice was a daily activity.
Great story! Thoreau was so right about letting go, it makes life so much easier to live. And you were rewarded for your patience. :-)
ReplyDeleteI have Thoreau moments when I go kayaking and miss it terribly in the winter. I had a wonderful trip this summer on the Sudbury River in Concord to Great Meadows National Refuge, channeling Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott all the way (in fact I named my kayak the Sylvia Yule after the heroine in Alcott's Moods).
I blog about Louisa May Alcott and wrote about my little adventure here if you wanted to take a look: http://louisamayalcottismypassion.wordpress.com/2011/08/18/tapping-into-my-inner-thoreau-play-acting-as-sylvia-yule/