Day 396 40 Hours of Feeling and Breathing

Tata!!! Beading is done! I am over the moon! Approximately 5500 beads, more than 150 meters thread and almost 40 hours hard labour. Photos are coming in about 2 weeks. I remember my first real work, a hand-beaded Elizabethan dress I made back in 2004 well before I went to uni. I love intricate handwork. There is something in the fact that a piece of cloth is embellished by a person, not a machine. During that 40 hours whilst I picked up the beads one by one and pierced the fabric threw with a needle thousands of times, my inner being changed. I had time to think. And through the thinking process relive memories from the past. Create new ideas for the future and dwell on wisdom in the present. I chatted on the phone with family and friends whilst taking short breaks to rest my eyes. I am getting better in taking breaks. I used to never do that. But now after every petal I beaded I would drink a quick cup of tea or coffee take a short walk to the gate and breathe in some fresh air. I also had the TV on for most of the time and caught myself watching programs connected to Hungary. Hungarian films, Hungarian documentaries, Hungarian everything. I find it fascinating how much I’ve changed. To become a person who just wants to suck up everything this little country has to offer. I am like a sponge wanting to embrace the knowledge available.