Yesterday I read an interesting essay in The Imaginative Conservative that was about smoking a cigar. Because my husband occasionally enjoys a cigar, I read it. I was immediately struck by how much the benefits to one’s soul of smoking a cigar are like the benefits of stitching needlepoint.
In the essay the author says, “cigars not only foster thinking and contemplation but a sense of brotherhood amongst those gathered to smoke. . . I recall the numerous Sundays while on deployment, absent of any spiritual communion, . The hour in company served as a time of solidarity and friendship amidst the daily grind of life at sea.” (The author is a naval officer.) He also talks about how for his captain smoking a cigar took him away from the burdens of his work and routine and allowed him to contemplate, relax, and think.
Also, San Francisco financier Steve Worthington said, “A handmade cigar is a rebellion against frenzy and insanity; it means supporting contemplation, overrash impulse, and represents a civilized revolution.” Substitute “needlepoint” for “a cigar” and doesn’t this sound true?
As I read this I thought about how many times needlepoint accomplishes these things for us. We needlepoint when the stresses of our life get to be too much: in waiting rooms, in our hotel rooms after a day of stressful meetings, at a sick spouse’s bedside . . . I thought about how, when I stitch, I can think about the blessings of my life and settle myself. I recalled how many times this pause to relax allows me to come back and look at a problem with fresh eyes.
Most of all I thought about how needlepoint has us together in community. The delight we take in teaching needlepoint to others, the fun we have sharing our finished projects with our fellow stitchers. The joy of sharing our lives in small talk as we sit and stitch together.
Although we may be stitching alone more often these days, we should not lose sight of these great gifts.
About Janet M Perry
Janet Perry is the Internet's leading authority on needlepoint. She designs, teaches and writes, getting raves from her fans for her innovative techniques, extensive knowledge and generous teaching style. A leading writer of stitch guides, she blogs here and lives on an island in the northeast corner of the SF Bay with her family
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