The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Cancer Declassified
Hobbies help renew the spirit
Alison Marable
PUBLISHED: February 7, 2008
For many years, I have gardened to heal myself. Anyone who has benefited from the restorative qualities of gardens knows what I mean.
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A simple walk through the yard pulls stress right from my body and lets it go. Caring for living things, checking them, watering them, weeding them -- all of these caretaking tasks — renew the spirit.
One of my surgeries came at such a time this spring that I was physically unable to tend to my gardens. I was unable to plant a vegetable garden and had to leave the weeds for another time. My husband improvised a way for me to grow a few tomatoes and nurture some seedlings, which provided some comfort and a way for me to feel needed in the outdoors.
However, I needed something else that would calm my spirit and become a therapeutic soul-lifting activity. I also knew that by the time I had more energy to garden, fall and then winter would be in full swing. Quilting was the answer.
Playing with the gorgeous fabrics and creating patterns of colors was the equivalent to gardening, but was possible indoors and in any weather. Searching through piles of fabric bolts is like digging into the pillow case filled with Halloween candy after a long night of trick-or-treating.
I took a class in the fall from Viking Sewing Center on Jackson Road in Ann Arbor. Recent medical events required that the teacher carry my sewing machine up and down the stairs into the classroom for me. Pretty humiliating at first, but my enthusiasm to learn and the respect of the staff eased my tension.
At one point, I burst into tears from frustration that likely stemmed from my long year, not from learning a new quilting technique. The teacher hugged me and gave me some words to cheer me on. I have been frequenting Viking Sewing Center ever since.
I had a similar experience at The Quilting Season in Saline. The destination was one of my first outings in a long while. All independent shops have their own unique personality, and this one's traits included friendliness and warmth. The owner's mother welcomed me, showed me around the store, and was receptive to my need to be creative at a stressful time.
Recently, when on an interview for a newspaper article, I met a couple in their 80s. He was still teasing her and she was still bragging about all of his accomplishments. During our conversation, which strayed off the intended topic, I learned that he had battled cancer about 12 years ago.
Both claimed that as a direct result, he picked up the fiddle after many years of not playing. Now he has a room in the house devoted exclusively to music and he gives to others by playing for local organizations.
I have a friend with brain cancer who is physically unable to do much gardening, a diversion she misses greatly. She now paints and e-mails me digital photos of some of her pieces. Besides being shockingly beautiful, it's obvious that the act of painting allows her to both accomplish something and create something.
I often play music in the house or make up my own silly tunes with equally nonsensical lyrics as I work. My husband and son (he takes after his father) will tell you that I am the best singer they have ever heard. My daughter quickly corrects them. The point is that regardless of talent, artistic endeavors lift one's spirit and should never be restricted to the individuals with superior talent.
It doesn't matter if the paintings are good, the flowers have no pests, the pies taste good, the singing voice is pristine and the hit was a home run. Enjoying nature and tinkering in the arts are essential to the human spirit. It's the adult version of "play," something that many people leave behind at an age when they probably need it the most.
Alison Marable is a breast cancer survivor and has a master's degree in social work from Eastern Michigan University. She can be reached at alimarabelle@yahoo.com. Comment on her column via our November staff blog, Inside the Newsroom," at http://heritageweststaffblog.blogspot.com.
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