But the magic has waned for me. There just isn't that spark. There are, without question, people and activities that I will miss. But the cons (the old girls' club, differing viewpoints on quilting and life in general, etc.) far outweigh the pros for me.
But here's the thing, people. I'm not a tree. I can leave. If you're in any situation that's not working and that's not going to change, you can can leave. So that's what I'm doing. I'm done worrying about it.
I will be forever grateful to my renaissance friend, Adrienne from Chezzetcook Modern Quilts for having the courage to do what I didn't - start a modern quilt guild in our city: Maritime Modern Quilt Guild. Now I go to guild meetings with an excitement that I haven't had in a long time. I hate to miss it! I feel, for the first time in a long time, that I'm surrounded by like-minded people. At MMQG, I'm not the odd one out any more - the young one, the one who works, the modern one, the one who loves Konas, the one with the blog. We've only been together for a short time, but when it feels right.... well, you just know.
This post is not in any way intended to disparage my (now-former) guild. If anything, it's meant to encourage you to join a guild, any guild. Why? There's so much to see, to learn, to experience. Go shopping for a guild that suits you. And if it doesn't, don't worry. There's no kids involved and you don't have to sell the house. Move on. Keep shopping. If there's nothing in your community, start a guild. Or if that seems like a huge undertaking, find a blog (or make one!) and build your own community. There's one thing you can be certain of: no matter what you're doing, there's someone out there doing it too... and they'd love some company!
J
P.S. If you live in (or near) the HRM and want to give the MMQG a try, our monthly meeting is this Thursday at the newest stop on the fabricaholics fix tour, Patch Halifax. Check the MMQG blog for more details.
