This past weekend my family and I went to Bernheim forest, to join in their autumn leaves festivities. My father and mother-in-law joined us there, and we had a marvelous time hiking through the trails, and visiting the craftspeople who were demonstrating and selling their wares. Perchance, we stumbled across a group of women spinning and weaving. This group happened to be the fiber guild I planned to join in the Spring, before my husband's mother passed away, which prevented my attendance. Happily, I was able to reconnect with them.
While watching them weave and spin, I explained the basic mechanics to my in-laws, who were very impressed by the amount of energy a single article of clothing takes to create the "old-fashioned" way. My mother-in-law made a very astute comment: "People these days get into trouble because they don't have enough to do". I think she might have a very good point. In my other life, where I work as a psychologist, I see a great number of people who are experiencing a loss of purpose. They complete their daily routine, including hours of empty time filled by television, and feel ennui over their lack of generativity. Though I do believe that before the industrial revolution people had a great deal of stress regarding the sheer amount they needed to accomplish in a day; today so many things are automated that we have 'freed' ourselves into melancholia. Discouraging idleness is something I 'prescribe' for this. It's important to find peace in the rhythm of the day's somewhat mundane activities. I find when I do this, and fill up the scraps of time with knitting, or other small activities, I feel restless and strange when I try to wile time away. It makes me appreciate the lull of the inactivity so much more.
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