Confessions

People often ask,

"How do you do it all?  Do you ever sleep?"

Being the humorist that I am,

(ahem, yes! I AM funny. Promise.)

I usually come up with some quip 

about having more time in my day 

than everyone else.  

Or that it's really not that much.  

Or that I am, indeed, SuperWoman.  

Scratch that, make it Wonder Woman

she totally had the better outfit.

Scratch that, I am Gem!

(Remember Gem? Best. Ever. But, as usual, I digress)  

The truth is, I have zero me time. 

None. 

Zilch. 

Nada.  

When most people are sitting 

quietly in the evening

on their couch

enjoying their favorite show or book, 

or taking a hot, steamy bubble bath 

in a big jacuzzi tub,

I am either blogging

knitting

quilting 

or editing photos. 

Or all of the above.  

At once.

While juggling knives.

Lit on fire.

These are all a form of hobby for me.  

(minus the knife juggling.  I have zero hand-eye coordination.

Seriously.

Trust me on this one)

The super-fast thud-thud-thumpa-thud of the sewing machine calms my mind.

I knit while I watch the few shows I still DVR.

I blog at night 

while the ideas are fresh

and the light is low

thus maximizing the damage on my retinas

from the harsh glare of my laptop screen.

And sometimes,

I do feel like I am stretched too thin.

Like my "To Do" list is too long,

and my thighs rub together more than they should.

And sometimes, I want to quit.

My day job.

My night job.

My in-between job.

I want to set my camera down and not pick it up again.

Ever.

I want to donate my yarn basket and hang up my needles for good.

And I want to disband my fabric stash.

But then it all comes together.  

The final stitch is knit.

The binding gets done on that last pesky quilt.

Finishing touches are put on photos I took ages ago.

I drink a bottle glass of Pinot.

And I start over.

I get more hat orders.

I book another photography job.

I agree to blog every day for a month. 

Through it all, I love what my life has become.

The people I have met because of the leaps 

I was daring enough to take.

My family.

Their incredible and unending patience for my freakshowishness.

I am so thankful for all of it.

My ability to photograph peoples lives

in a way that drives me to develop my art even more.

My ability to create a special hat for someone.

Knowing that it is truly one of a kind.

(None of my hats are alike. I will never duplicate them. More on this later)

I am thankful for you,

readers,

for coming here every day.

Reading my senseless drivel,

and actually enjoying it.

I write here

as much for you

as for me.

Confession: Some days I write here just for you.

Because if I write it, you will come....

*Tap tap*

*hello*

*is this thing on?*

I am thankful that you don't write me angry emails

asking me to please

Please, Athena, stop telling jokes.

I am not perfect.

Not even close.

I'm just doing the best I can

every 

single 

day

until it is time for sleep.

Then I get up and do it again.

And 

believe it or not

there are days

albeit few and far between

that I do

absolutely 

nothing.

All

Day

Long.

But

just so we're clear

given that last revelation,

I am more than willing

to have you continue to refer to me as

"Superwoman"

aka

Gem.

Cheers,

A