It's Not Like I Don't Feel Badly About It

I'm having the guilt. I harbor dislike in my Sheepie heart. This dislike is unfair, unwarranted and there is nothing that the recipient can do to rectify it. I feel badly about it. I wish I was a better person.

In the spirit of trying to make amends, I offer up the following reasons why the month of March is not to blame for the qualities it possesses that rankle me to the core:

March had no control over where it ended up on the calendar. It may have shown up late to the meeting when the assignments were being handed out, but I'm sure it had a good reason.

March is not responsible for the fact that I need to do a ridiculous amount of stuff during its reign over the 365 days that make up my year. The end of the grading period, the Maine Educational Assessment, parent conferences...all pure coincidence.

March did not personally target me and force me to take a class that requires homework of me. March would probably have told me to be more proactive with regard to my recertification credits and not find myself short mere months before my teaching license expires. March is not a frivolous month. It is all about the business.

March does not control the weather. It did not wake up this morning and say, "I think we will have a cold snap and force the weather gurus to put up a wind chill advisory. That'll make The Sheep think twice about her attitude towards me."

If March had a choice in the matter, I'm sure that it would have elected to have a three day weekend or a gift-laden holiday somewhere in its time frame. What self-respecting month doesn't want children everywhere all sweaty with the excitement, and awaiting its arrival? March got a raw deal. Come to think of it, that could explain the cold snap...March might be feeling a little bitter about the whole thing.


And I'm sure that there are those folks out there who celebrate various happy things in March. There have to be some birthdays, anniversaries or festivals-of-whatnot going on. But none of them happen to me and, while I revel in the happiness of others, I would be lying if I said that it's not the same as getting a Christmas stocking or a week's vacation. I'm petty that way. I'm not saying that I don't hate that about myself. But it is what it is.

Sometimes you gotta look for the Happy. Happy isn't going to just fall out of March's heinie. You need to make an effort. Sometimes a bit more than you meant to.

A couple of months ago, I found a cool little kit in one of my favorite off-price stores that implied I might be able to find a bit of the fun contained within its cardboard confines. It actually was far less fun than I'd hoped as the fine print on the kit clearly stated that it contained a pattern only and not the tools necessary to make the pattern into something other than parts and pieces. I blame myself, really. If I only had the vision of an eagle and the ability to look past the bold print that assured me the kit had all the makings of a good time and a finished object, I would have been A-OK.

The kit sat in the To-Deal-With Pile for quite a while.

The other night, as I was picking up some yarn for a felting project, I happened to recall the kit that was just hanging around the house doing nothing to earn its keep and wondered if the craft store might also happen to have the missing item. Lo and behold, it did. And it is very sharp and could maybe even poke a large hole in my finger and cause me to bleed all over everything. I like the potential for danger in my crafting.

And so now I've been playing with a punch needle.

Professional Punchers need not fear...it is unlikely that there will be any sort of Sheep cornering of the punch needle art market.

I've actually wasted more of the floss playing with it than anything else. The original pattern has seen little in the way of punching. In fact, I highly doubt that it will ever be completed. But, the overall activity is really rather fun. And fast! In addition to a hint of danger, I also kind of like crafts that go quickly.

No, we are not casting aside the needles and spindles in favor of the floss and frame. But it is a pleasant diversion that might just help me to find a little of the Happy during this most miserable month known as March.

Maybe I'll do a nice little sampler for the month. Something with, "I'm Really Sorry For My Dislike Of You For Things That You Cannot Change Or Control" worked into the pattern.

SA