Make it happen!

This has been a week for discomfort and profound reward.

The two seem to go hand in hand. Step outside your comfort zone and things begin to happen. I don't mean you should consider bungee jumping or sword swallowing, but if there is something you want to accomplish, take that first step. You may not always succeed but you will be enriched by the experience. For me the reward has been meeting some beautiful people.

I've been kicking around the idea of a quilt raffle as a fundraiser for the ALS Association. My sewing machine is vintage and my sewing skills quite rusty and the ticking clock made me turn to more experienced people -- the Cabin Fever Quilt Guild of Orlando. I enjoy their quilt show and saw displays there of the quilts made to support a variety of charities. I contacted the group and Darlene Arnswald took up my request, posted it in their newsletter and got the word out. Two women stepped up -- Joyce Scarbrough and Trish Bowman.

It turns out that Trish is opening her own quilting business and it was an opportune time for her to get an example of her work out there. She's also a take charge kind of woman who didn't let me back out of the idea when my cup-half-empty self had second thoughts.

She embraced my flaws, didn't bat an eye at my total lack of navigation sense. She gave me impeccable directions to her house where we got acquainted and picked out the pattern Then we met -- at a location I could find. From there she drove us to her favorite quilt shop where we picked out the fabric and I met a whole group of lovely women. I had forgotten what sweet spirits quilters have. The quilt, it seems, is going to go from a 'what if' thought to a reality.

That is heady stuff.

To see something you only thought about turn into a real, tangible thing. It was like that in the 1990s when we built our house. One day it was a wish, a dream, and before we knew it, we were moving in to our dream home. Life seemed to take control after that and events dictated where we lived and what we did or didn't do. Money is always a factor.

Yet, in the midst of illness and economic woes and insecurity, we must take that first step to get things moving toward the reality we want. Whatever you have on your 'wish' list or 'if only' list -- take that first step. You know what it is.

And, sometimes, the money appears just when you need it. I am covering the cost of the quilt materials, Trish is donating her time and talent to make and quilt it. I told a colleague where I work about the shopping expedition and she said, "I've been looking for a tangible way to donate something. Let me split the cost with you."

Lyn Rocca -- you rock!!!

Sometimes when you begin something. The right something. It truly has magic as Goethe said.

"Whatever you would do, Or dream of doing, begin it! Boldness has power, genius, and magic in it. Begin it now." -- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I admit that the quilt seems like a tiny step. But for me it has opened many doors that have been shut for far too long. I am feeling the power that comes from deciding a direction rather than just being buffeted by events. We make those choices each day. Smile at someone or don't -- you set in action a string of events with something so insignificant.

The quilt -- whomever takes it home -- it will give them comfort. And if they are even faintly touched by the pain of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig's Disease -- they can use the comfort. Hopefully this first step will have wonderful ripples spreading out in every direction. The money raised will help research and patient care. The process of making the quilt has already brought me in touch with such strong and delightful women. And our purchases are helping a local business through a tough time. So far I see no down side to this choice and it just keeps getting better and better.

First steps are tough, but definitely worth the effort.

Next on my 'I wish' list: Paint the kitchen. Big deal, right? But I want a brown accent wall. Coffee or chocolate brown -- a bit outside of my comfort zone.

But not quite as far as it was before last week.