Depression- I've probably written a little or a lot about this before. The title of this blog post is a double entendre. I'm talking about the economic situation in our country and my sometimes personal state of mind.
Economics. Today for the first time in a long time I went "shopping" for yarn. Actually I was looking for one or two skiens of yarn in a particular color and brand. Red Heart Super Saver Coffee a deep rich brown. But the Hobby Lobby go to didn't have what I was looking for.
Recently, I began crocheting another shoulder warmer shawl for myself to wear around the house. I used a pretty open eyelet lattice pattern. I'll just have to get creative and use a contrasting yarn in a different color or texture. Or I can see if I can find another brand of yarn in a similar texture or color.
I noticed that the cost of yarn as well as everything else is steadily rising. this concerns me because at this time my money is really tight. I watch every penny I spend and tend to my immediate bills first. However, my observation is that few people who don't have to live this way respect or understand this. They just whip out their credit cards or write checks for everything!
In some instances, I've experience insults because I don't drive , use a credit card or checks. I kicked one so called friend to the curve because she said she thought people who didn't drive and have a car were losers! I've even had potential and my current employer act like I'm weird because I don't have a checking account. Have they ever heard of the residual effects of identity theft on one's credit and finances?
In my opinion that's why everything is so screwed up in our economy. Plastic money, plastic lives, plastic people. Literally and figuratively, I want to work with real currency of solid value. So I'm determined to negotiate through this. I have to find a way to continue getting the materials I need to craft and do artwork.
Emotions. Almost my whole life I've struggled with depression. At an early age I began to combat my depression by using different forms of visual arts as a form of positive accomplishment and expression. But like many people ,being long termed unemployed took a toll on my self esteem and security. Plus during this time, I found out quick what real friends were, including my family. A lot of people who called themselves my friends treated me like a pariah.
My long time friends stuck with me and when they could offered support and encouragement.
Thank Goddess I'm rising up out of this crap. But at times it seems like a slow climb. I don't know how my ancestors made it through the economic depression of the 1920's and 1930''s. Just the same "this taint no picnic in the park with George" I'm going to have to find and utilize successful strategies to craft out of depression.
