I’m proud to be a Bombshell.
Not just because we’re a fabulous group of ladies with some serious
crafting skills, but because we’re resilient.
We gals are always able to find the bright side. It might take a minute and a few drinks to
get there, but we can see the humor in any situation. It’s a true talent. You know the obnoxious saying “when life
hands you lemons, make lemonade”? Well,
we say screw the lemonade, pass the tequila and salt! So, let’s talk about disappointment. We’ve all had those moments when that soufflé
we call our expectations falls flat and we can’t fathom what to do next. These can be unforeseen life events, or in
our case, it was a yarn bombing.
Anyone that practices our fun craft medium knows that
planning is everything. We plan with
military precision. We take exact
measurements of our targets (we are after all, making sweaters for parking
meters, trees, statues…), compose an amazing design, and spend hours, days, weeks,
sometimes months knitting and crocheting extravagant pieces of art. When D-Day arrives, we break into teams and
strategically attack our project. Then
it all goes sideways and we get chased off someone’s property.
Considering all the time and energy we pour into our projects,
it’s understandable to have that toddler tantrum moment where your brain
screams “I’m gonna do what I came here to do!
Handcuffs and arrest record be damned.”
But then the sane part of your brain interrupts and you realize you’re
holding a flashlight and garbage bag of handcrafted goods on a stranger’s lawn
that’s no longer the agreed upon location of your commissioned yarn bombing. And, it’s getting dark. Rather than face an awkward situation with
the local police or, worse yet, a bad case of buckshot from the homeowner (thank
you Castle Doctrine of Kentucky), we decide to retreat to a bar and examine where
we went so wrong.
After a few moments of silence and a few fingers of bourbon,
we realize this doesn’t have to be a disaster but an opportunity for something
completely different and even better.
This is how I found myself with the rest of the Bombshells in Mt Airy
forest one gorgeous Sunday afternoon in late September. We were creating a composition of our unused pieces
on a group of trees. Our work looked
stunning against the backdrop of leaves and branches. It was a temporary installation done to
demonstrate our art for someone who may be interested in it for bigger and
better things (stay tuned…).
While we’re a little too feisty to ever be mistaken for Pollyanna
or a perpetual optimist, we sure have a “can do” attitude. Truth be told, sometimes when life hands me
lemons I’d rather punch her in the throat than make anything. Glad I’m surrounded by my blonde friends who
will smile and say “we can work with this” while they hand me a cocktail.
