Hello, and Goodbye

“Goodbyes” are not easy, but “hellos” may be harder.

The past couple weeks I have welcomed change both through having to say goodbye, as well as hello. 

GOODBYE TO FRIENDS

One of my roommates, someone I have grown very close to, left to go home this week. The four girls I have been living with have become like family to me. We have our routines and roles that we each play, and without one person, everything shifts. The past week we explored Cape Town together, from the open air cinema in Kirstenbosch Gardens to our couch at home, time was spent being fully present with one another. 

Fear used to encapsulate all of my goodbyes. I would be left frozen, unsure of how to fill the hole that was left by the person leaving. But now, I see it as creating space. When I said goodbye to my family at home in September, it created space for the new family I have here. Although sad, I have learned to see a “goodbye” as a true “see you later” and an opportunity to create space for something or someone unexpected. 

This makes me think about the patchwork patterns at Not I But We. One of my current projects has been to create a new pattern incorporating the smaller off-cut pieces. The current patchwork pattern in our bags include larger squares and strips, and has left the smaller pieces lying around. It has been one big puzzle putting together different color combinations and sizes. I am constantly adding, taking away, switching out pieces, and often left with a space that needs to be filled. 

For example, I had chosen a beautiful purple satin fabric and later realized it could not mix with the other materials I had chosen. I had to say goodbye to it. However, because I had to say goodbye, and change my pattern, I discovered the beauty of the green linen I incorporated instead. 

This green linen may not necessarily be better or more beautiful than the purple satin, but it did allow me to see and experience something new that I would not have without saying goodbye to one thing first.

HELLO TO STRANGERS

This week I said “hello” to a lot of strangers as I worked the Not I But We booth at Cape Town’s local craft market. By greeting a passerby with a smile and a hello (and occasionally a compliment) it invited many people to investigate what I was selling. I noticed that sharing this single word with a stranger was what determined making a sale or not. This simple greeting typically sparked mutual kindness back and led to an opportunity to share the story of the company or just get to know a new person. Building up the confidence to say “hello” to strangers is something that I have worked on for a while now. At times it comes easy, but often it still feels uncomfortable.

During my time at Not I But We, I have been greeted with more responsibility and trust than I have ever had before in a work environment. I have been given the responsibility of making a new pattern which has challenged my sewing knowledge and creative problem solving skills. I also have been trusted to create and lead a workshop with the ladies on the next Flourish Friday which has allowed me to apply topics and tools from my Belmont education. I am no longer learning through watching, but through applying. Taking on these new responsibilities requires me to break the barrier of fear and hesitation, and say “hello” with confidence. Just as I did at the market.

Saying “goodbye” to someone or something familiar used to fill me with fear, now I approach it with ease and hope.

Saying “hello” to someone or something new has always been uncomfortable for me because it requires a certain level of confidence in myself. But that confidence is beginning to build with every greeting to a stranger or commitment to a challenging project at work. I am taking every opportunity and saying every “hello”, even when it may be a bit uncomfortable.