A Hat For Miss A

   Over the course of the 2016 holiday season I was lucky enough to be able to spend a good amount of time with my 4 and 7 year old nieces. My eldest niece loves crafting and I can not tell you how happy it makes me to know that she is interested in knitting and sewing. Not only that but she wants me, her Auntie Neen, to teach her how.

   She came to me during the Thanksgiving break and asked me to knit her a hat. Now if you know anything about my niece you'll know that she knows what she wants, she understands quality, and she isn't shy about letting you know that something isn't quite right. This was THE  commission job to which all others pale in comparison.


   She wanted a hat, but not just any hat. She wanted a stripped hat, It had to be pink, purple and blue, It needed to have the letter "A" on it so that people know whose hat it is. Oh, and if I could put one of those frilly things, yea a pom pom, that would be great.

    And so it began. I worked tirelessly for two nights to craft a hat worthy enough for Miss A's exacting tastes. I was proud of what I had made but my opinion didn't mean a thing. What mattered was that Miss A approved... and... she... said... that she didn't like the way it fit. After placing it on an adult sized mannequin head to stretch it out a bit she said she liked it. I had failed the first impression so she wasn't as pleased as she would have been if it fit from the get go, she didn't jump for joy like she had when I'd made things for her in the past, but she liked it.

    I learned an important lesson from this experience. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. When you create and then share your creations you are putting yourself and your work out there to be judged. If you are truly passionate about what you do then you absolutely must remind yourself that you are not going to get positive feedback 100% of the time and the way you react to negative feedback can be the difference between your failure and your success. Keep trying and if you continue to fail then try something else. Your day will come.

   We all need a "Miss A" in our lives. Someone who gives us honest feedback to help us learn, adapt, and grow.

    Around Christmas time My Mom and I stayed over at my brothers house. I stayed in Miss A's room for a majority of the time and while I was there I discovered her hat under a pile of toys. She hadn't worn it and she probably never will but I am still very proud of that hat. I am also proud of my niece for being completely honest in a world of yes men.

                                          She's going to be a CEO someday, I'm sure of it.