This evening I had the pleasure of attending a reading by Chicago author Audrey Niffenegger, best known for her book The Time Traveller's Wife. At one point (I'm totally going to screw this up by paraphrasing) she was talking about how it's such a shame that as we grow older, we are taught to specialize more and more. So instead of being a bug collector/dancer/painter/rock climber/scientist like when we were young, we become A Banker or A Nurse or A Computer Programmer. She summed up by saying we'd all be a little happier if we nurtured that childhood tendency to just DO stuff, and she challenged the audience to go home and make something. As she put it, it didn't matter if we made cookies or a sweater or a watercolor, just as long as it was something we made from the heart.
I really loved this sentiment. Now, I didn't indulge in any craftiness this evening because I am usually pretty good at just making something on a regular basis, but I am cooking up a batch of soup this weekend so I think that qualifies. J
Diane Sparks is a 30-something professional in Chicago.
