On Letting Go

One of the things I have been careful about lately is making sure that I do not try to do to many things. I really enjoy crafting, sewing painting and handcrafting stuff, but sometimes it is much better for me to just say no and let someone else take over. I do work 60+ hours a week, and I am on a plane or in a hotel more often than I am home these days. So I try to do projects which make me happy. If something starts to stress me out, then I need to put it down.

I realized this summer that making a baby quilt for Miss G was too much. It would have been fun, but ultimately it would have made me cranky. And nobody needs that. Luckily though, I found this wonderful non-profit community development organization in Ho Chi Minh city in May. Vietnam Quilts brings employment and income to some very poor women in rural Vietnam. They learn new skills and can support their families with their income. I have a long history with the development field, and my personal philosophy lines up well with that of this organization.


With no regret at all, I sent the nursery fabrics I had bought and stashed away for my own quilt. Four weeks later, they sent back a beautiful baby quilt. It was, in truth, much better than I could have made myself. A custom order with shipping was something like US$50. The only problem was that they are pretty backwards with respect to foreign orders and could only accept a wire transfer. The additional bank fees doubled the cost for me, but it was still well worth it.



In letting go, I was able to support a wonderful organization, take one step closer to my nursery vision, and retain my sanity. All good things.