Learning the hard way

I spent eight years at a university, earning my bachelor's degree, then going into a master's program. College was a wild time, but not the way you think. I didn't party or clubbing. I did crochet. When I wanted to get crazy, I started knitting.

As time passed, my life picked up. I found an internship, which lead to a job, and eventually, two more jobs, all in the industry I had studied. I was both very lucky and very stupid. Working three jobs, doing research to better myself as an educator, grading, lesson planning, completing graduate courses and trying to write a thesis, combined with family matters, and other things an adult needs to do, is a lot. Four years of it ran me into the ground.

I quit school.
I quit two of my jobs and let my contract at the third to expire.
I moved home, and put one hundred miles between me and that situation.

Now, I'm trying to put things back in order. I started with my health. I don't think that it will surprise anyone to learn that both my mental health and physical health were in extreme disarray. I hadn't had a consistent sleep schedule for eight years. For the last two years, I'd get somewhere between two to six hours of sleep a night and eat one meal a day.  It took me about three months, a health care team consisting of three doctors and one nurse practitioner, and some therapy to get this far. I still have a way to go in terms of improving my health, but I'm so much healthier now. I even have a job and a healthy work-life balance.

I put a lot behind me, but knitting and crochet stay with me. In a lot of ways, they got me through that time. My high points of college include graduating, learning how to knit from one of the best friends I'll ever have, getting on Ravelry and learning about the world of needle arts, and finding an amazing local yarn store with a kind and welcoming community. I will forever miss Thursday knit-nights, and being able to go to my happy place as often as my crazy schedule allowed.

Fortunately, I do have a stash and more WIPs amassed after eight years of crafting than I'm willing to admit to. I also finally have the time to work on projects and not feel guilty for neglecting something else. This is going to be slow going, but I'm ready for slow and steady.

I just have to remember that everything will go stitch by stitch.