Shell Beads

Today a market research person asked me what I would do if stranded on a desert island.  I said that after seeking food and water, I would probably collect shells and make them into beads.  This, of course, is a little warped.  But I'm feeling pretty warped right now, working round-the-clock on a beading project, I have beads on the brain.

I'm working on this massive project for our "Light" exhibit at Elements Glass next month. The jury is in a week, and I don't know if the project will be ready in time.  Also, our ORA meeting is tonight, and I'm not sure I'll have enough of a structure to bother showing it to the group.  I'll have to make that decision later today, but over the weekend I finally made peace with myself about the jury next week.  I gave myself permission not to submit it.  If I'm not done in time, so be it.  I have a few other pieces to submit anyway, so that might be all there is.  I'm not going to be stressed about it anymore, because it is not constructive.  And now that I'm feeling more stoic about it, it's moving along faster, and will probably (I hope) be done in time.

I do, however, need to learn from this experience.  How did I get into this last-minute position? Again?  It's mostly that "can't say no" thing, which eats up a lot of my time.  I really have to pick my volunteer commitments more carefully.  And then there's the old time management thing, which is tied with losing weight and quitting smoking for the number-one most common vice that people strive every year to control.  At this age, am I ever really going to lose weight?  Or manage my time better?  It seems less and less likely each year, but I have to hang onto hope, no matter how dim it may be, and keep trying to improve.  Find little shells, search for a way to make them into beads.... keep trying....