Education goes hand in hand with handiwork

Few people would argue that education is a worthy pursuit. On par with an education should be learning some type of skill or handiwork. Bear with me as I back my way into this logic. Just the other day, I was at Kohl’s with my boyfriend shopping for some new shorts (no, not that kind – the outerwear). He wanted plaid. I’m looking at the plaids, thinking something’s off here. Then, it struck me. The plaids at the seam did not match up. No one taught the seamstresses in Malaysia or India this basic sewing step. It’s synonymous to matching the pattern on wallpaper or making sure the nap on corduroy goes the right way. More likely, they just ignored this plaid-matching step as a cost-saving move.

Back in junior high, I was sent to sewing classes with two of my three sisters. Sewing was a great skill to have. I made many of my own clothes and also learned a lot about fabric. My sister, Margaret, took sewing to the nth degree as she does with many things, making blazers, dresses, pantsuits and later quilts. My daughter, Kelly, knows how to sew and quilt. And my sister-in-law, Cindy, has taken quilting to a new art form. Check out her designs here: http://www.cindygrisdela.com.

Yesterday, I was at my boyfriend’s community garden plot, which was looking all verdant and vibrant and I told him, “I’m proud of you for doing this.” It’s a good character trait to have something that you put a lot of effort into and get a lot of pleasure out of.

In these hard economic times, there aren’t a lot of jobs. But for those who have a skill or a special interest that they enjoy, they can still get satisfaction from a job well done. In addition to working for a living, it helps to have something you like to do that is productive or simply brings enjoyment, such as music or painting. Therefore, I recommend that we not only educate our youth but also encourage them to learn some type of handiwork. Don't even get me started on how my dad insisted my brothers help him around the house, fixing things. Guess what? They became handy. And that's another great skill to have.