I’m on a “baby-step” kick right now, trying to be patient with processes that are huge, complicated, and slow. The last two weeks have been full of days that did not go as planned, to such a degree that it’s easy to look back over my day and beat myself up for not having accomplished more.
So here’s my thought for the day:
Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant. — Robert Louis Stevenson
My to do list tends to be harvest-oriented: what is finished, completed, done? Not much most days, even on the days when I’m really productive. When you write books, make quilts, and knit sweaters, most days you work on things and make progress. But the days where you actually finish things are rare.
I plant and tend seeds constantly, but rarely do I get to harvest the results. And yet, that treasured harvest would not be there if I didn’t do all the other work first. This is why experienced makers tell us to enjoy the process. If we only enjoyed the product, we would greatly limit our days of joy.