A Spinning Passion

In some ways, summer is almost too intense to bear. The garden swiftly shifts from slow, little sprouts to raging, bulging harvest. Bringing in this abundance, cooking, trying to stay one step ahead of the fierce weed crop, replacing the hot water tank and the entire house-full of plumbing pipes, welcoming a new headmaster to the school ... it's all a challenge, and most of it is good.

Most of it. I could do without the hot water and plumbing thingies.

So what is the latest blip on my radar screen? Spinning. Yep, I've got the spinning bug. It may be worse than Erlichiosis (a particularly nasty tick-born disease) or even cellulitis (I've already logged my annual event). A good friend gave us some wool roving and two makeshift drop spindles, and a few days later I'm history. I've already ordered my first Kundert spindle (is there possibly any better?), and taken apart my first efforts so I could keep spinnng something—anything.

Including the dog's hair. Not just any dog, or even our dog, mind you — I used the hair of the adorable little poodle entrusted to our care by our summer intern (and fabulous blessing herself). It's entirely possible; You can actually spin dog hair. Is that amazing, or what?

Now I have my eye on Smooch, our long-haired cat.

I love all kinds of handwork—knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting ... but this spinning business is a life unto itself. I'm a nun, and probably shouldn't be using this language, but it feels like a calling. I think I could spin all day, every day, and never be bored.

Jeez, that's scary.

I'm trying to figure out how this passion might be useful to our community. Can I learn to do it really, really well? Maybe experiment with natural dyes? Sell the stuff?

I don't know those answers yet, but I do know what it feels like to discover one of the passions we are each (yes, every one of us) endowed with when we appear on this planet. It sings you. It dances your body. It delights your heart in a thousand ways. You would give up food, sleep, maybe even sex, just so you could do it some more. That's passion, my friends.

And if each of us could connect with one or two (or, God help us, three) of those gifts, what an incredible world this would be.