I Gar-On-Tee You!

This is a true Kara Beth katharsis!

‘I Gar-0n-Tee You!’ was the catch phrase of Justin Wilson, a funny Cajun chef on TV around the time Julia Child had her show.

I am absconding the phrase in this blog. As you read, you have to say the word like Mr. Wilson did. It makes my aggravation sound a little bit funny instead of the moaning and groaning stuff it really is.

I am ’bout done with letting my fingers do the walking! Amazon is bad enough, but I ordered a couple of shirts for Ronald from nice companies. The problem is, people don’t make Western shirts for men with narrow shoulders, short arms, and substantial middles.

Which necessitates alterations…ARGH!!!

Anyone who knows me knows I am pretty handy and can sew really extravagant things from scratch. BUT – Alterations have sent me over the edge many a time.

After today’s episode, and the other attempt two days ago, and the other one last week on the same shirt, I gar-on-tee you! I will not be doing alterations EVER again! Not on shirts anyway.

My neighbor, Bobbie, does alterations all the time. She has more patience than I could ever have and talent that is truly amazing! She came and helped me pin one sleeve accurately. Which was fine until I took out the pins to redo the first seam. It was all downhill after that.

I’ve torn out the stitching three times today. I think I finally got one sleeve correct at the shoulders but still have to redo the cuffs.

But tomorrow is another day. I am going to let my bad habit of procrastination override my determination to finish that monster today. I gar-on-tee I used up today’s allotment of patience hours ago!

It is now past 8 pm. I let my frustration pass after a few hours and decided to think on other things.

Sure, I could dwell on past regrets, failures, and frustrations, but adjusting my mindset tonight was just what I needed to do.

Instead of thinking on things I never want to do again, I got to thinking about the things I do want to do.

I want to get strong enough to walk the rain forest and sail on a catamaran again. I would love to watch a meteor shower again like Ronald and I did many years ago in South Texas. I want to watch sunsets, see rainbows, and listen to geese as they fly overhead.

I want to sew some outrageous angel costumes and reupholster a chair. Then I want to rearrange my living room.

I want to go to another hockey game with my rowdy kids and eat at the Mexican restaurant nearby. I want to start thinking on next year’s object lesson for my family. I want to do some more dirty pours.

Sometimes, I just need to let my thanksgiving gene overtake my grumping gene. There are so many fun things to think about! Memories, making plans – even if they never happen – I gar-on-tee those are more fun to think about than alterations. Letting go of things like hurts, grudges, or aggravation, and focusing on the good things of life makes a difference in the inner being that to me is unexplainably refreshing.

Though David was talking about his sin with Bathsheba in Psalm 51:10, I think it applies to me today in this situation. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.’

May it be so.

Blessings

Kara Beth