Stitching with Julian
Julian Odessa is sharing the Language of Flowers each month – and for July the lotus signals ‘rebirth’ to remind us to give our oldest dreams new life
Hullo! Do you ever daydream about a world where your wildest dreams have come true? Perhaps you’re a movie star, an astronaut, an author, a person with an extra hour in their day to wind down and stitch. Have you ever considered finding a way to give those old dreams new life? If you were looking for a sign to do just that, this could be it! This month’s floriography bloom reminds us that rebirth is only one step away: the beautiful lotus flower.
Lotus flowers are particularly clever in how they live their lives. Each night they fold themselves away from the world, submerging themselves in the waters that hold them, and re-emerging with the sun. Each day is a new opportunity to begin afresh. It’s the same for us humans as well, though you don’t have to situate yourself in a pond to do so (although, you do you!). The difference is that we get to choose when we take a new direction. This opens us up to endless possibilities, which is both exhilarating and terrifying. It also means that we have far more control over our lives than we may often think.
Maybe you’ve seen a fancy project in this magazine that you’d love to try but you don’t know how to begin because it feels overwhelming. But this is something you can control.
I have a simple trick I use if I feel overwhelmed when beginning something: find the easiest part of what you want to do and do it. Then find the next easiest thing to do, and so on. The only difference between the you who finishes a project or achieves a goal and the you who never starts, is that one version of you began. You can’t finish something that you never start.
Whatever it is that you choose to do with your time, however you live your life, know that you have far more control than you may think. It also helps to remember that, at any point, you can submerge yourself under the water and reimagine yourself in the morning. Nothing is permanent, nothing is set in stone, you can always change your mind. Anything can happen at any point, so why not follow your happiness now? Even, and especially, if that happiness leads you to finding an extra hour in your day to work on your cross stitching projects.
Stitch boldly!
Julian