isn't it inevitable, that maturity leads to cynicism, to realizing that motivational quotes are not always right?
In case you're wondering about the picture, a) I'm far too lazy to take a new photo for this but don't have any better ones on hand, and b) that's me, literally dancing in the literal rain. For a high school science project's blog promo (I regret a lot of things about that). Two weeks before hightailing it out of school early for health reasons. It fits.
Here's the fun thing about this project: physics is one of the best ways to understand what is happening around us. It is a language through which we can learn to comprehend the madness of the universe, and a path by which we may control our surroundings.
Here's the not-so-fun thing about this project: physics cannot change what is, and the human mind has only come so far. Sometimes, we are still relegated to simply staring in wonderment at fibres that seem to be alive with their own instincts and thoughts and desires.
Here's the resulting dilemma: isn't that the fun part? Because there is wonder in the way that ideas change over time; the way we wander around goals, shooting for the stars but never realizing what constellation we'll draw. Sometimes, there is not knowledge -- only muscle memory and instinct. We cannot be prepared for everything, cannot plan around every eventuality. There's something beautiful about the reality that what we think we want isn't always what we need, and what we expect isn't always what happens.
So. That's the philosophical way I'm explaining things now, apparently.
~~~
I'm writing this on my lunch break, thinking about how my results make no sense (okay, well, they obviously make sense, just not to me), wishing that I could be outside testing right now. Problem is, it's raining outside -- and yeah, rain is kind of definitely an uncontrollable source of water that might jeopardize the integrity of my controlled stream of water.
There's a lot of value in paying attention -- in listening, and watching, and letting the currents guide you. Sometimes, you've just gotta wait out the storms, because dancing in the rain will most likely lead to you accidentally having footage of yourself wheezing for a... couple of minutes. Also your feet might not be normally coloured anymore. And you might get sick for the next week.
Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything like that.
~~~
After I started experimental trials, I hypothesized that the 2-ply yarn had plies of the ideal width for strength. Being a crafter is great and all, and many times I am able to manipulate things so that it works out. That's not always the case though -- and it's certainly not the case here, given that I'm not an experienced spinner.
Anyways, I spun some more samples, yet again. A bit of reading revealed that a general consensus might be that there's a sweet spot for how thick each type of fibre should be drafted, based on the properties of the fibre itself. Too thin, and the tensile strength is compromised because even the twist cannot glue them together. Too thick, and the outside fibres are not properly secured into the yarn. With that in mind, I just sort of went on autopilot and spun a 'default' yarn from the same fibre, to see how thick I was naturally drafting.
And wouldn't you know it? It was between the width of the plies of my 2-ply and 3-ply yarns.
~~~
I spun again, this time with a leftover hand-dyed sample. It drafted out a bit thinner -- I credit that to the dye -- but still, around about the same width.
Some things are meant to be.
~~~
So, I suppose that this is the lesson: everything has its limits. Anything cannot become anything else.
Some projects won't turn out the way you expected. You might go so far as to slap the label of 'failure' on them. (Sometimes, that'll be a fair assessement.)
When it rains, look for rainbows; when it's dark, look for stars. Silver linings aren't about rigidly demanding that your brain interpret events as perfect, and they're not about getting exactly what you wanted. You don't have to stubbornly run outside to dance in the rain; maybe it's best to stay inside, pour a cup of tea, and do a little writing instead.
~~~
(Maybe there's a time and place to dance in the rain, too.)
Comments