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Enough

March 4, 2018 By Marilyn Webster 4 Comments

 

I’m at my loom weaving towels with sustainably-grown, naturally-colored cotton. I’m in the familiar place of wanting to finish a collection of towels in time for a crafts fair, yet I know that they won’t be. Once I finish weaving them, I still have to wash, dry and hem them, then boil them in two batches for two hours each so they will be absorbent.

You have enough inventory, I say to myself and revel in the luxury of these words.

Enough.

What a beautiful place to be. Satiated and not stuffed.

Acceptance. Permission to stop weaving and relax.

Enough in a world that says more, more, more. In a world that says go, go, go. In a world that says now, now, now.

What is enough?

An individual answer from moment to moment.
A place between scarcity and excess with no hint of deprivation.
A luxurious place where you breathe deeply and contentment spreads through your being.

Enough.

A glorious permission-giving word. A state of grace perhaps.

We are not taught enough. We are taught more, more, more. We’re taught perfection. Not enough. Not good enough. Not beautiful enough. Not rich enough. Not thin enough. Not doing enough.

Always longing, reaching. Never arriving. Never satisfied.

You have enough inventory, I say to myself and the self-imposed pressure I’ve been feeling disappears. I choose to continue weaving for the pleasure of making cloth, feeling content.

Wishing you enoughness,

Marilyn

 

 

photo credit: Lynne Graves
pottery: Maya Machin

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Comments

  1. Lissa Boles says

    March 5, 2018 at 9:36 am

    ‘What is enough?

    A place between scarcity and excess with no hint of deprivation.’

    Wow. Wow. Wow. And yes.

    Reply
  2. Judy Murdoch says

    March 8, 2018 at 10:20 am

    For me “enough” is something I feel into.

    It’s a state of feeling complete. It is being in integrity. That having one more of whatever would not bring additional satisfaction or fill something that needs to be filled.

    Interestingly, “enough” is, I think, an internal condition that cannot be addressed by more external “stuff.” I learned this the hard way!

    The feeling of “enough. Of wholeness and completeness is a wonderful place to be.

    Reply
  3. Deb Moyes says

    March 14, 2018 at 6:20 am

    Lovely post, though I, the weaver, am interested to know why you must boil the towels?

    Reply
    • Marilyn Webster says

      March 14, 2018 at 7:04 am

      Hi Deb,
      I only boil the sustainably grown cotton towels. Because it’s naturally colored — i.e. the cotton grows green & brown — when I wash the towels, it’s the first time the cotton has ever been washed. I found that washing them on hot wasn’t sufficient to remove the natural waxiness of cotton, so I boil them. I wrote a bit more about it here.
      Warmly,
      Marilyn

      Reply

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  • HOME
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    • In the media
    • Environmental stewardship
  • HANDWOVEN GOODS
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    • Kitchen towels
    • Table napkins
    • Custom orders
    • About colorgrown cotton
    • Laundering
    • A word about color
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    ▼
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