It isn't What I Hoped For... It was Better

Every once in awhile, an object becomes symbolic in our lives. My yoyo dress has been one of those things in my life. It has come to represent much more than just an interesting and beautiful piece of clothing that I designed and made. It has come to mean much more than that.

When I began making the yoyo dress, I had certain expectations of what it would be like and how much I'd earn for it once it was completed. As the materials and time invested grew, I realized it was unlikely that I was going to get out of the dress what it would be worth, but by this point, I loved the dress. I loved the idea of it and I loved the beauty of it. I finished it because it was important that I finish it and because I loved it.

The picture above is Sara and her new husband, Andreas. The dress was worn for their wedding in Switzerland, high in the mountains. It perfectly fits their personalities, the location and the spirit of their wedding. I made almost nothing on that dress, and yet I feel incredible joy and satisfaction about it. I'm thrilled that a sweet and interesting girl wore that dress for the most important day in her life. I'm thrilled that she got compliments and praise for her unique dress. I'm thrilled that she felt special wearing it. I couldn't be happier with the outcome.

I think there are so many things in life that are like that dress. We put our whole heart and soul into something, expecting a certain outcome. We dream about that outcome, we hope for it, we work toward it. And then somehow it doesn't work out the way we wanted it to. Sometimes that's a big disappointment, but sometimes the reality ends up being even better.

For What It's Worth is a book I'm finishing. It's a story of a young lady who opens a wedding cake bakery and because of her lack of experience and reputation, isn't sure what she should charge for her cakes. She conducts an experiment to determine the worth of the wedding cakes and finds that things don't go quite like she expected, and that ends up being okay.

Very often our expectations don't become our reality. But if we're lucky, those realities--like the yoyo dress--become much more satisfying than our expectations.

Congratulations Sara and Andreas! I'm honored that I had a small part in your special day!