The Island Of Misfit Toys (i.e., Unfinished Projects)

Giraffe, random

As we were driving past the line of brightly lit storefronts,

my son blurted something out from the back seat.

“QUITters Studio???”

I turned my head in the direction where he was looking,
and laughed, as I realized what he saw.

“QUILTers studio,” I corrected.

To him, that did not make one bit of difference.

It was like, “O-kay, sooooooo . . . what’s a QUILters Studio???”

We live in fast-paced, multi-tasking, over-scheduling, overly-competitive(ing)
Northern Virginia . . .
where most of us (in order to “save time”) send our clothing to the cleaners
or the local tailor, just to sew on a missing button.

There are people (around here) who sew QUILTS . . .

for PLEASURE???

This was hard for me to imagine; much less,
try to explain it to my teenage son.
But, suddenly, I found myself having fun
imagining what a “QUITters Studio” would be like.

I envisioned a room FILLED with unfinished projects:
a portrait painting with barely a face, a knitted sweater with no arms,
a wooden chair with not enough legs, a metal clock with no hands . . .

(think “Island of Misfit Toys”)

a speckled wall that still needs painting,
piles of papers that still need filing,
kitchen chairs that need tightening,
a broken bookshelf that needs repairing . . .

Ohhhh, WAIT.

That’s MY HOUSE.

And, that’s when a brilliant thought
came over me.

I should start charging money every time someone enters my home!

“Welcome to my home!” I would say.
“Please enjoy and appreciate my unfinished projects!
And, don’t forget to enjoy the unfinished cookies
and coffee, as well!”

Technically, though, “unfinished” is not the same as “quitting”.

I do intend to finish those projects . . .
some day.

Maybe, after Christmas.

In the meantime, maybe I’ll just finish the answer to my son’s question:

“A quilters studio is a place that sells materials to people
who like to make quilts.”

“What KIND of quilts?” he asked.

“You know, like . . . blankets, comforters, bedspreads, duvets . . . ”
I responded.

Then, with a serious look on his face, he asked,

“Can’t they just go to Bed, Bath & Beyond?”

 

 

 

 

Best Buy Co, Inc.